This next idea was easy. We had been working to create a bunch of ways that we could frequently and consistently communicate our company culture.
“It was right in front of us and we didn’t see it,” said Miguel. “Our company newsletter was full of informative articles about our 401(k) plan and how to make a claim with our health insurance carrier, but there was nothing about what our company is all about.”
Sadie spoke up next. “We put out our newsletter each month, that’s 12 issues a year. How hard could it be to come up with 12 stories that promote our company culture?”
Sam raised his hand. “Wait a minute, guys. You all think it’s important to spend time making up a bunch of stories to put in the company newsletter. I gotta tell you. I have work to do. I don’t have time to fiddle around with stuff like this.”
The group stopped. We had been in such a positive, back slapping, high fiving mode that we hadn’t noticed Sam in the back of the room. I could tell by the body language from the rest of the team that they would just as soon pooh-pooh Sam out of the room.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “You all are on board with this, but Sam has some serious heartbreak with the direction. And if Sam has heartbreak with it, some of the rest of the company is going to feel the same way. You can’t ignore it. How are you going to respond?”
How would you respond? I would like to hear your comments. Why is culture so important? -TF