feel safe when they know the rules of the game they are playing.
When those rules are constantly changing, or some know the
rules and some don’t, it creates a negative, and very politically
charged environment.” This, according to him, leads to low
engagement, high turnover and an overall drop in performance.
“A strong culture makes the rules very clear in the form of
values, and then states that not living up to them is a ‘fire-able’
offense,” he says.
Leadership is critical in ensuring that everyone in the team
“lives and breathes” the company culture which is why, according to Richman, a leader needs to be clear on his or her values
first. “Consider what does that look like when talking to
employees? When planning projects? When working with
vendors, partners and customers? What behaviors would you
exhibit, what actions would you take? Then create reminders to
do it until it becomes second nature,” he advises.
Sometimes, he says, leaders make a mistake
CHAPTER
THREE:
EVALUATING
STRENGTH
In the strength scale of company culture, where
does your company rank? Often, benchmarking or
evaluation is a process so many companies overlook overtime.
When companies rank low in culture strength, “getting
real and taking full responsibility” are the first steps toward
creating a shift in internal culture. “Any leader who blames
their employees for a situation is ultimately a weak leader,”
Richman boldly points out. “Taking full responsibility means,
first, living the values every day, and never giving yourself an
exception just because you’re the leader. Secondly, it means
becoming humble and listening to your employees: What are
their fears, hopes and goals? What would make it a stellar
work environment? And then ask
yourself: How can you connect
their personal desires with the
larger corporate mission? “
A negative culture, he says, is
the most destructive because it
can spread like a virus. “The
majority of people can be happy,
but it only takes a few negative
people to bring everyone else
down. A healthy culture does
not suppress negativity. It
handles it with the proper
response. This means praising
—ROBERT RICHMAN, ZAPPOS INSIGHT PRODUCT MANAGER
people publicly and criticizing
privately. This means coaching
people to live to their full potential and find their willingness
when they treat culture like it’s a program or a project. “It’s
(or get them out if they don’t have it).”
much more like a system than anything else, and any strong
The process in evaluating culture strength varies in every
system is self-perpetuating. This means creating a reinforcing
company, often driven by the company values within. In
loop to keep it going, and a feedback loop to constantly socialZappos’ case, for instance, the plot of their culture storyline
ize and share the results. Culture is created in language, so
revolves around “happiness.” “The science of happiness
sharing the culture with everyone (even customers and vendors)
shows that the key factors include deep relationships, a sense
is the best way to keep it.”
of purpose, and a sense of progress in life. So we poll our
employees to ask if they have great friends at work, if they
CATCH RICHMAN on Nov. 6 from 2-4 p.m. at Sunday's
feel the company has a higher purpose and if they feel they
Masters Session at the 2011 ISPA Conference & Expo to know
can grow in their careers within.”
more about company culture and how to use this strategy to
Perhaps, learning from Zappos’ culture story of service and
create a profitable and successful business.
happiness, you, too, can create your own happy ending. ■
“One of the most prevalent
employee complaints is
they don’t know what is
expected of them. People
feel safe when they know
the rules of the game they
are playing.”
42 PULSE
■
August 2011