When you start a new business there are many things you have to be thinking about. From what is the idea, the name, the market, the need, your costs and your expenses; If you need investment, equipment, or a team to hire. The place where you are going to operate, your advertising, social networks, website, the constitution of the company, registration in the SAT… in short.
There are infinite issues that an entrepreneur has to think about when starting a new business. I found myself in the middle of this whirlwind when we founded GROW. Therefore, it is common for organizational culture to take a backseat, but I want to argue why it should be a priority.
That is why you may not have the culture of your company on your list of priorities, which has not yet been born, but as the saying goes, “a tree that is born crooked will never straighten its trunk.” I wouldn’t be so strict. Many things can be corrected along the way when there is motivation to do so, but it definitely makes the process more difficult.
Avoid future problems!
Many organizations where culture, that is, the way the company works, is not something they have paid much attention to. This has led to many internal tensions, manifested in the form of overbearing managers or misaligned teams.
That’s why I say that perhaps at first it doesn’t seem like a priority to create an organizational culture. But if you think about the people, about how you want your organization to work and have a vision for the future of where it will go, you will avoid many tensions in interpersonal relationships, which will arise later and you may feel that you have little time to attend to. The good news is that there isn’t much you need to do at this stage, it’s just about laying the foundation for the future.
Actions to strengthen your organizational culture from day 1
Since you are in the beginning stages, or perhaps with a small team, it is crucial to lay the foundation of your organizational philosophy or culture. This will inform critical decisions, from sourcing to market adaptation and defining ethical and operational boundaries.
These 3 actions represent the creation of your VISION towards the future. The vision is made up of 4 elements: purpose, BHAG, Values and Evolutionary Pillars.
1. Discover your purpose
The organizational purpose is the reason for your company’s existence, it is why you exist. It may sound a little cheesy, but it really has a lot of depth. Your purpose is the combination of your added value (what differentiates you, makes you unique, what you do better than others) and the impact that it generates in the world. Understanding it helps you separate yourself from your competition or your references.
When you create a new idea, you probably have many references from others who are doing similar things, and that is normal, but each one has their style, their added value that makes them different, discovering it will help you differentiate yourself and find your way. Your purpose also helps you evolve your product or service, because you will see that there are many different paths to get there.
For example, Google aims to organize the world’s information to make it accessible and useful to everyone. There are many ways to organize information. And there is a lot of information to organize. This purpose accommodates not only Google, but its affiliate companies such as YouTube, maps, etc.
2. Dream about your BHAG
The BHAG is the Big Hairy and Audacious Goal, it is a long-term goal that can be scary, but these goals are important because they give you a north star to follow from where you want to go.
For example, in 1990 Bill Gates set a goal with Windows to have a desktop computer in every home. Although it is a reality today, at that time it was a very radical vision and, as Stephen Covey says, “things are created twice, the first is when you visualize it and the second is when you materialize it.” If you don’t have a clear visualization of where you’re going, you’ll never get there.
3. Ground your values and evolutionary pillars
Values have been very underestimated, it seems like they are just pretty words that we stick on the walls, but we really use them every day. Every time you make a decision you prioritize one thing over the other, and that is based on what you really value in your life.
Organizational values give you guidance for making decisions in your company, and in the way you want it to work. For example, if as an entrepreneur you meet a client who asks you for something very different from what you do and you say yes and do it anyway, your values could include flexibility and customer service.
Defining your values will help you, when hiring, look for candidates who not only have the ability to do the job, but who align with the way you want to do it. For example, if you hire a great salesperson, who has very good oral skills, but lies to customers and then gets operations people in trouble, it will cause friction for everyone.
The evolutionary pillars are basically medium-term objectives that will help you get closer to that great dream that you set for yourself with your BHAG.
Defining your purpose, BHAG, values and pillars will give you a lot of clarity in your work plan and you will paint a clear image for all those people who join the dream of your venture, from today to the future.
This column was written by Daniela Blank, advisor to the Association of Entrepreneurs of Mexico (ASEM) | CEO and Founding Partner of GROW