Allan of RemoteCompass.com chats with Bretton Putter, CEO of CultureGene.ai

Brett is author of Culture Decks Decoded and Own Your Culture.

Show notes:

• Brett's team helps clients define, embed, and manage their culture
• Companies in rapid growth find that it's time to invest in company culture
• Brett's research suggests that only one out of 10 companies has done anything about their company culture
• Social distancing measures made organizations more aware of the importance of company culture
• The leadership team allowed the four walls of the office to develop and maintain the culture
• Companies that tend to grow rapidly invest in their culture early
• When an organization is smaller (e.g. 3-person company) and doesn't expect to grow beyond that, they can get away without being too systematic about their culture
• It's important for co-founders to understand your culture and values as they prepare to hire aggressively
• Being systematic about your culture has a lot to do with how much and how fast your headcount will change
• Start thinking about your culture when you're a team of 15 to 20 as it's difficult to connect with everyone everyday
• The first 15 team members are likely hired from the founder's network
• Brett suggests there is no such thing as a "good culture". It's about whether one is a good fit for a company or not
• A culture could be strong yet dysfunctional
• A culture is strong when expectations are well-defined and lived by the company on a daily basis
• You could have a well-defined culture that doesn't drive the business forward
• The companies with the strongest culture, based on Brett's research, started working remotely from day one, because they didn't have the option to do otherwise
• Culture is "the way we do things around here"
• "Culture and brand are two sides of the same coin, but culture comes first"
• As teams switch from co-located work to remote work, the glue that kept them together is weakening
• A well-defined culture brings stability and agility
• Companies that are smart about culture explain what values mean to the organization
• Values should be translated to 'expected behaviors'
• The team should define 3 to 6 behaviors that reflect each company value
• If a company values 'openness', an example behavior is "we don't talk about people behind their backs"
• Your values should inform who you recognize as employee of the month, hire, promote, etc
• If a team member joins a company remotely (e.g. from their own bedroom), they need to hear stories about what's acceptable or not
• You must keep repeating your culture's message. You know you're winning when your team's eyes are starting to roll