Lay the Foundation for a Winning Culture With These 9 Virtues
By: Jared R Chaffee
Tags: Work, Culture, Leadership, Leadership Development, Professional Development

Identifying the Culture You Want

First, let me explain what I mean when I say “culture.” Your organization’s culture is the set of beliefs, values, and behaviors that dictate how employees behave- especially when their leader isn’t around and no one is looking. It also informs how teams solve problems.

Many companies post their mission statement and values on their website, promote them occasionally at employee meetings, and expect the culture to simply fall into place. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy- it’s not a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. It’s something you need to continuously work into the fabric of the company. And in order to do this, you need foundational principles that you can go back to time and time again.

“Identifying the culture you want is hard: you have to figure out not only where your company is trying to go, but the road it should take to get there.” — Ben Horowitz

The Foundation- 9 Virtues

Culture isn’t one-size-fits-all and needs to be as unique as the organization it inhabits. However, I’ve identified 9 principles that are commonly shared among the highest-performing organizations. These foundational virtues should serve as the base for any winning culture.

1. Trust

Trust is the cornerstone of a winning cultural foundation. This is the one attribute that holds up all the others. Some refer to this as psychological safety, but without it, everything else breaks. It’s simple and relates to an inversely proportional principle: the more trust you have, the less communication is required. The less trust, the more communication is required. Every employee must trust the organization and its leadership to ensure the free flow of ideas. Otherwise, no amount of conversation can make up for the lack of trust. Communication will grind to a halt- stifling innovation and any progress towards your goals.

2. Mastery

Mastery is a person’s desire to own their domain. It’s having an appetite for knowledge, seeking to learn more and improve skills with practice. You need to implement a powerful learning and development framework so that you can learn from mistakes. This will enable your organization to handle the unexpected and work through downturns by using lessons on what worked and what didn’t.

3. Autonomy

Autonomy is the need to be your own director. It means controlling what you do, how you do it, and who you do it with. This allows maximum flexibility to think creatively without needing to conform to professional boundaries. We are all built with an innate need to explore. How can you instill a culture of autonomy? Instead of giving specific directions, provide your employees with real-time feedback on what they’re doing. Give them the freedom of choice and provide the encouragement and support they need to accomplish their goals. This allows the organization to align its own strategic thinking with your long-term goals.

4. Collaboration

With trust comes communication and collaboration. To solve the hardest problems and tackle the biggest challenges, your organization must be able to circulate good ideas. Remember, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What’s the best way to encourage collaboration in your culture? Encourage small talk and chit chat to strengthen the fibers of the workplace community.

5. Moonshot ideas

In my experience, the most enjoyable and fulfilling workplaces are those with high-performance cultures with great aspirations. Think less about short term performance and more about building something truly special. Push to be better and go farther- to be world-class.

6. Put clients first

It’s hard for an organization to exist without clients. We have to pay the bills after all. If you want a successful organization you need a culture with a client-focused mindset. When you care for clients, you can beat competitors.

7. Act like an owner

All high-performance cultures instill a sense of ownership within the organization. Everyone should think like the owner or founder- taking personal responsibility for performance, striving to do the right thing for the company, and putting aside office politics.

8. Bias for action

Nothing drives me crazier than incessant talking and no action. After all, what’s more fulfilling than tackling the hard problems and seeing things through to the finish line? If you want a high-performance culture with an edge over the competition, you need to get things done. You need an organization of doers, not talkers.

9. High energy and passion

High performance requires a lot of energy. And the only way to sustain high levels of energy is a passion for what you do. This one is hard to manufacture so you should look for it when making hiring decisions. You need an organization that will give 110% to the mission and what you are trying to do. You need a team willing to go above and beyond, bringing enthusiasm to executing the organization’s objectives.