1.
Don’t Kill Your Culture!
Tips for keeping your small business office culture awesome as you grow

2.
For many
employees,
part of the appeal
of working for a
small business
is the
unconventional
environment.

3.
But sometimes the dynamic
and chaotic nature of a
brand-new business begins to
shift as companies scale.

4.
Growth brings benefits...

5.
Growth brings benefits...
… but it’s critical that founders pay attention to office culture
during growth phases.

6.
Growth brings benefits...
… but it’s critical that founders pay attention to office culture
during growth phases.
WHY?

7.
Because research shows that over the long run, culture
dramatically impacts your company’s bottom line.

8.
We asked small business founders, CEOs and researchers to
give us their best advice on what small and medium businesses
can do to keep up the energy as they grow.
We asked small business founders, CEOs and researchers to
give us their best advice on what small and medium businesses
can do to keep up the energy as they grow.

9.
Define your culture

10.
By the way, we’re defining culture as “the norms of behavior and
shared values of a group.”

11.
By the way, we’re defining culture as “the norms of behavior and
shared values of a group.”
FYI: That definition came from Harvard Business School
Professor John Kotter.

12.
Know who you want to be
Tip #1

13.
Culture
happens in an
office setting
whether you’re
paying attention
to it or not.

14.
That’s why leaders need to
be aware of its existence —
and to set their course
deliberately.

15.
— Chris Cancialosi, partner and founder at gothamCulture.
“It’s all about taking the time and creating
the space, early on, to define who you are
(or who you want to be) as an
organization.”

16.
Walk the walk

17.
It’s not enough to talk
about office culture —

18.
It’s not enough to talk
about office culture —
employees need to see it
demonstrated.

19.
Allow employees to risk —
and fail
Tip #2

20.
Is your company a place
where it’s okay to
experiment and fail?

21.
In companies where failures are punished, employees will spend an
incredible amount of energy blaming others or hiding their own
errors.

22.
That wastes time.
In companies where failures are punished, employees will spend an
incredible amount of energy blaming others or hiding their own
errors.

23.
— Ian Ziskin, president of the EXec EXcel Group
“Hire people with a high ability to deal
with ambiguity and to learn from things
that they tried that both go well, and don’t
go well.”

24.
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25.
Engage your people

26.
You know what kind of culture you want, and made sure it’s being
talked about and demonstrated by leadership.

27.
You know what kind of culture you want, and made sure it’s being
talked about and demonstrated by leadership.
Now it’s time to get everyone on board.

28.
Look for culture over skill
Tip #3

29.
It’s easier to hire people who naturally share the values of your
company than to train professionals to adopt values.

30.
Remember though:
That doesn’t mean
you don’t want
diversity of opinions
and perspectives at
work.

31.
— Curtis Blair, founder of Froghair
“Hiring for culture over skill helps to
buttress the mission of the company,”

32.
Balance play
and structure

33.
As you grow, hang on to the best
of what small businesses do well,

34.
As you grow, hang on to the best
of what small businesses do well,
but don’t be afraid to adopt the
best practices of more mature
organizations.

35.
Consider succession
planning
Tip #4

36.
A downside of being
a small organization
is that there may not
be much room for
employee growth

37.
To stay ahead of
this problem and
retain top talent,
smaller companies
need to be
thoughtful about
succession planning
as they scale up.

38.
— Alec Levenson, economist and co-author of What Millennials
Want from Work: How to Maximize Engagement in Today’s
Workforce
“It’s much better to be open and clear about it. You
may want her to be there another five years, but if
that’s going to be stifling and you have nothing for her
in her career, take the mature, adult way of
approaching the transition.”

39.
Want more tips?
I want my office culture to
be awesome.
We’ve got 18 of them. Download our e-book today
Read it now!

40.
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