A friend asked me recently how much time we spend talking about company culture at Collegewise. The answer is that we spend a lot less time talking about it than we do trying to live it.
Company culture isn’t something you can make. Culture makes itself based on what you actually do. It’s a bi-product of consistent behavior, not a mission statement or a banner on the wall. Imagine if someone you knew talked incessantly about how important it is to be a good person, but then frequently acted like a jerk and treated people badly. Organizations work the same way. Bold words sound good but they lose oomph if you don’t actually live them.
A company that touts its commitment to customers, employees, or social values—but doesn’t actually live those ideals every day—is talking about one culture but actually living a different one.
College admissions officers see this frequently from applicants, too. Many students write their essays about how important community service was to them in high school. But that claim doesn’t hold a lot of weight if you only worked one blood drive and never volunteered anywhere again. It’s the difference between saying something is important and actually living the things that prove how important it is to you.
Whether you’re running a company, a counseling office, or a club, don’t spend too much time trying to define or describe what you want your culture to be. Sure, talk about what’s important to you, but more importantly, start living those ideals. Recognize and reward people who exemplify them. Be honest with yourselves about whether or not your actions are keeping you true to those words.
You won’t always get it right and neither do we. But you’ll get a lot closer when you focus on what you’re living instead of what you’re saying.