Your culture, your team

Where do you feel yourself happy? What is the most comfortable place for you? Where can you hide from stress and problems? I guess the most of you has answered “home”. At home people can be calm and relaxed. At home people can feel the protection and the support of family members. At home they can really be themselves. Wouldn’t it be great to have two such homes? One of which could be the company, where you work. Yes, that is possible indeed, even if you can’t imagine it for the present. But there is a catch: the company must have the corporative culture. Exactly it can create a developing, profitable and successful company.  

Money and perks can’t create a successful company.

At the beginning as everything the company culture must have an idea. This idea will become a pivot of the whole organization. Without that it’s hardly executable to create a strong outstanding company. As a matter of fact, precisely this main idea will be the basis of all. Exactly this one idea will be able to combine all workers. Employers are often mistaken, when they suppose the pay rise will encourage workers. It’s seldom so. It doesn't matter, how much money people get, it will always be not enough for them. Therefore not money or different perks, but this company’s idea and culture will motivate the employees to work harder and more productive. It sounds so wonderful and so unrealistic at the same time. That’s why it would be better to examine a striking example like Airbnb. 

It’s known that by way of this online platform people are able to rent or lease the variety of rentals for short period of time. It can be seemed that nothing special. But why more and more people choose exactly this company, what is so unique in it. The matter is that Airbnb has its core idea – the friendship. So simple. This company’s goal is to combine the world together, to make it a little bit closer. This basic value of the friendship creates the Airbnb culture, which differs this company from all others. There is even an interesting story, which proves this. One host from London, called Sebastian, told that during Burlington riots seven of his previous Airbnb guests rang him up to find out whether he was all right. And all these seven persons phoned Sebastian even earlier than his own mother! Now you can see, what the Airbnb friendship means. As to other core values of this company, they are: creativity, frugality and the work by calling. So if you’ve found your special idea and supporting values, it’s already half the battle. Besides, it is also very principal to transform idea and values into the daily routine of the company, so that these aspects have to become something similar to the habit. As a result it will be easier to follow and strengthen them.    

The second part of the successful culture is people. They have to understand, support and really admire company’s idea and core values. For example, it took approximately five months (!) to find first Airbnb employee, who was an engineer. One of the founders and CEO, Brian Chesky, had to look through thousands of people and to interview hundreds of people. He needed so much time, because he grasped, that first engineer would bring DNA to his company. So if he were successful, a thousand people after him would be successful like him too. Also interesting that the very first employees got one question during Airbnb interview, it was: “If you had ten years left to live, would you take this job?” The answer on this key question showed to the founders, who will help to take care of the company culture. It means that first of all, the company’s idea must attract people to join it. A story about two men laying bricks can make clearer this thought. Somebody came to the first man and asked what that one was doing. He answered that he was building a wall. As for second man, on the same question he responsed: ”I’m building a cathedral.” I’m sure the difference is understandable: someone is just doing his job, and someone – his calling. Only in such a case, when the company found people, who were looking for their calling, the employer can be sure that these new people will develop and increase the growth of the organization. Also it is important to realize, who you can’t work with. If the person is a great specialist, but doesn’t maintain company’s or your own core values, you shouldn’t choose him. 

So, right idea in tandem with right people enable to build a solid foundation for company. Of course not all companies follow such method. And reason for it is time. It doesn’t last so easy and rapidly to find honest motivated people and to think up interesting peculiar idea. But this long time, which you will spare searching these main points, will help you to set up strong long-term business. That’s why you shouldn’t be afraid and upset, if at the beginning you don’t see any proper variants. Be patient and you will see the benefits from it in the future.

The main aim of all companies is the achievement of results. But a lot of them, especially new ones, don’t pay enough attention to company culture. They usually forget to define the main values of their company, which doesn’t help them to bring right long-term workers to it. As a result they try to reach the results in a hurry without any trust, honesty and teamwork, but such process can’t last long, and in a year or two these companies stop their existing. So it would be better to take some time to create company culture, which will give you not only impressive results in the future, but also will the chance to have the second home.