charging to learn corporate culture


 

So. I just heard the craziest thing I have heard in awhile (it may not be true but it’s worth ranting about).

I heard Zappos is charging people to come in and do a 3 day seminar (visit, exploration, whatever) on their culture and building a culture.

Okay.

What’s up with that?

Seriously.

Who would pay to do that?

Maybe more importantly … why would you pay to do that?

Ok. Look. I get the fact that it’s a different world today when trying to make your company (or products or services) into a “brand.” With internet connecting everyone with every minute tidbit of information … companies have to become a little more transparent whether they like it or not. An unhappy customer or a disgruntled employee can spread a bad experience faster than ever before.

I guess the good news is that the reverse is true as well. A great experience with a company can be read by millions of people almost instantaneously as well.

But, c’mon, the fundamentals are exactly the same as in the past. The best brand names were always the ones who emanated from the internal culture of the company. And by “best” I mean the ones that have lasted and passed the tests of time. Everyone knows that. Heck. Everyone knew that.

I don’t care if there are a zillion touchpoints today versus something less than a zillion before. The fundamental issue was always the same. You should attempt to make each touchpoint be positive. And each touchpoint should be a reflection of your character (or company culture).  Because then (which makes it sound as if it was sometime prehistoric) you couldn’t anticipate problems just as you cannot today. Truly the only thing you could, and can, control is who you are and what you are selling (or offering).
In addition. We have always known the power of the employees in the marketplace (managing perceptions or ‘brand’ if you want to use that word). I know for a fact even in my ancient past in my first job it was important that even when I wasn’t “on the clock” I was always “on the clock” with regard to the company I worked for. Sure. I may have bitched some but in every instance I knew I represented the company in some form or fashion.

Would that stop me from getting shitfaced and dancing on a bar? Nope.

Would it stop me from denigrating the company, our clients, their products and what we (I) did for a living? Yup.

We didn’t need handbooks to talk about culture in those days.

We understood it.

We knew every employee had the ability to create a positive or negative impression.
We also knew that culture wasn’t just about whatever it was we were selling. It was an attitude. It was a character. We weren’t cloned but it was certainly a culture. And, sure, there were aspects of our culture that bled into “customer service” or “customer experience” but they were simply aspects of an overall culture.

Okay. Getting to the point of this post.
So. If you think going someplace to see someone else’s corporate culture and copying it (or copying how it is implemented) is going to work, well, get another job.

  1. You cannot copy someone’s culture. Period. That’s like saying you want to be someone other than who you are. Your company is made up of your people. Unless you can hire away their people and their management (and management possibly being the most important) you ain’t never gonna be them.  So why would I pay to see their culture?
  2. If you cannot copy their culture you cannot copy how they implement (or the stuff they do to cultivate their culture) the stuff they do within their culture. No can do. Why? Because your culture begets the stuff you do to cultivate it. So if I took all the whiz bang Zappo’s internal things and applied it to my own personality/character/culture … well … some may not come naturally. Because it’s someone else. All that internal culture stuff bubbles out of who you are. Unless you want to try and clone forget it.
    some culture chart i wanted to include because i have no clue what is says but its about corporate culture

    some culture chart i wanted to include because i have no clue what is says but its about corporate culture

So. In their words … “At Zappos, our belief is that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff — like great customer service, or building a great long-term brand, or passionate employees and customers — will happen naturally on its own.”

Do I disagree with them? Shit no.

Do I believe it is some epiphany? Shit no.

Sure. Some companies “lose their way” on his issue (heck. I worked at one of the world’s greatest agencies who had the culture mojo and lost their way by losing sight of what its importance was). But. I cannot imagine one viable well run company’s leader (or group of leaders) who doesn’t know this and does it in their own way. Every one of us who has ever held a C level position knows that your “brand” is, and should be, simply an extension of your culture (because if it’s not … you are screwed if not in the short term definitely in the long term).

Zappos certainly is an excellent example of “how to do it the right way” tactically (I don’t debate that):

–          Hiring with an eye on culture first

–          Training aspects on what is important to culture (historical knowledge and functional aspects)

–          Employee empowerment tactics

–          A willingness to hire & fire based on cultural fit (this is actually a biggie)

They are clear in stating their values (although I am not a big fan of the “10 core value list”) and it helps them, within their character, to put a stake in the ground organizationally to measure everyone and provide a north star for actions and decisions and commitment to ‘something’ organizationally:

1) Deliver WOW Through Service
2) Embrace and Drive Change
3) Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4) Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5) Pursue Growth and Learning
6) Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7) Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8) Do More With Less
9) Be Passionate and Determined
10) Be Humble

By the way, before all this ‘brand ambassador” and “corporate brand” stuff we used to call it the “DNA of the company”. Just connecting with the company “DNA” which was its’ roots, management/leadership style and personality traits.

Oh. But that was probably developed in the 40’s or 50’s so that was no good.

 

Anyway.

Visiting some company and paying to learn their culture and how they implement it just seems wacky to me (and an odd way to spend money).

I don’t think you can “learn to build a culture” from someone else. As a leader you build a culture. Your own. Or you are becoming a leader of a company that already has a culture and you are fostering an existing culture. And you do it throughout your organization in all actions big and small. That’s it. No book needed. No class. And certainly no money spent visiting someone whose culture you can’t copy anyway.

Spend the money and buy their shoes. They will like you better anyway.

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Written by Bruce