I’m a huge supporter of well-established company cultures. When an organization starts working with me to implement EOS, understanding the core of who their company is lays an incredible foundation for success. But beyond those initial discussions, maintaining a consistent company culture can sometimes be a struggle.
I had the opportunity to sit down with some past EOS clients of mine, Mark and Brian, who co-founded a website-building company called BizStream. Their company culture is grounded in the same things many companies are: having fun, working hard, and working together. They hosted a great collaborative trust-building event a couple years back (watch the video to learn more!), but I want to talk about some of the tactics that set them up for success before, during and after that event.
If you’re looking to actively engage your employees in your company’s culture, these tips are for you.
Be Highly Intentional
Like any change, a haphazard implementation approach is more likely to fail. It starts with defining your core values and embedding them in all the critical conversations with your people. Next is making it a priority in your Rocks, IDS topics, and even in evaluating partners.
The BizStream team developed a small group of culture leaders called the Culture Crew, which meets up every two weeks. They’re very intentional about maintaining a healthy company culture, but (with events like their indoor golf outing) they also have fun with it! Find a way to balance the two in your organization.
Ask for Help
While culture starts with the leadership team, it blossoms when team members believe in it and own it. Look for people that lead it by living it, and enlist their help in maintaining it and building it. The thing about growing your company is that it brings new people to your team. It is a powerful statement of your culture when a new person experiences culture through a teammate.
Align With Company Values
Mark and Brian have known each other since college, and I couldn’t help but laugh when they told me about the coding competitions they’d have with their classmates. They’d see who could finish first or who could create the coolest output, and the competition made it much more fun. When they built their company, they carried over these values.
The indoor golf outing represents one of their core values: Work hard, play hard. The teams had less than a week to brainstorm, design, plan, and ultimately build their themed mini-putting hole. To quote Mark, they were certainly flexing their “get it done” skills!
Encourage Trust With Collaboration
One of the greatest impacts of the event BizStream hosted was the trust it built between team members. By randomly assigning teams, most teams were composed of individuals who don’t usually work together. Encouraging collaboration in a creative, fun environment was a great way to build trust by working together toward a common goal.
Conclusion
I couldn’t believe it when Mark told me his company was hosting an indoor golf outing, but the end result was incredible. With one week-long event, the BizStream team was able to solidify their company culture, strengthen inter-team connections, build greater team trust, and reinforce their core values.
If you’re seeking any of these things for your organization, don’t be afraid to put in the work. It’ll absolutely be worth it, and your teams will thank you!
To learn more about BizStream and what they do, visit their website at www.bizstream.com.
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