Build Company Culture in 10 Steps

H O W T O

Think about culture early.

1

Nurture the people and practices that make your culture unique early on. It will guide

your company as it grows.

T H I N K A B O U T C U LT U R E E A R LY

Write it down.

2

Having an articulated vision for your culture will educate others about your mission and hold

you and your company accountable over time. Even better? Share it with the public.

W R I T E I T D O W N

T A W N I C R A N Z , C H I E F T A L E N T O F F I C E R A T N E T F L I X

“More and more people choose to work at a company not for the work but increasingly for the company culture and leadership.”

W R I T E I T D O W N

Designate leaders.

3

A culture doesn’t just build itself. Appoint a leader like Katie Burke, HubSpot’s VP of

Culture and Experience, and task them with building and measuring culture.

K A T I E B U R K E , V P O F C U LT U R E A N D E X P E R I E N C E A T H U B S P O T

D E S I G N A T E L E A D E R S

Measure it.

4

You can’t build a culture without tying it to meaningful metrics. Is your goal to improve employee retention by a certain percentage?

Attract more potential candidates?

Recording and measuring these data points will determine the success of your culture initiative.

M E A S U R E I T

“One of the main reasons why culture initiatives fail or tend not be viewed with seriousness is because they often lack a core business metric.”

W R I T E I T D O W NM E A S U R E I T

K A T I E B U R K E , V P O F C U LT U R E A N D E X P E R I E N C E A T H U B S P O T

Lead by example.

5

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to demonstrate the values you find most important. If you offer your employees

flextime, use flextime yourself.

If you encourage using all your PTO, make sure you take your vacation days, too.

L E A D B Y E X A M P L E

"Be the leader you wish you had."

L E A D B Y E X A M P L E

S I M O N S I N E K , A U T H O R

Connect culture to business outcomes.

6

"You have to make a business case for culture. Explain why it actually matters to the business and show how it ties to core business objectives."

C O N N E C T C U LT U R E T O O U T C O M E S

K A T I E B U R K E , V P O F C U LT U R E A N D E X P E R I E N C E A T H U B S P O T

Establishing a culture just for “fun” will never stick.

Make employee happiness your

obsession.

7

Make employee satisfaction the goal behind everything you do. But it’s not enough just to focus on the metrics, you need to add

personal touches as well.

E M P L O Y E E H A P P I N E S S

"The last employee happiness survey we did got 764 responses. I read every single one of them."

E M P L O Y E E H A P P I N E S S

K A T I E B U R K E , V P O F C U LT U R E A N D E X P E R I E N C E A T H U B S P O T

Focus on value, not appearance.

8

As Mattermark’s co-founder Andy Sparks points out, gimmicks like these are a “trite

replacement for authentic company culture.” Instead, focus on what’s meaningful to your

employees rather than random perks.

A N D Y S P A R K S , C O - F O U N D E R O F M A T T E R M A R K

F O C U S O N V A L U E , N O T A P P E A R A N C E

A wise person once said, “A ping pong table does not a culture make.”

Be unique.

9

Plenty of companies offer perks, so think about what will make your culture most attractive to current and potential

employees.

Beyond basic benefits, figure out what sets you apart--unique perks, a heartfelt company

manifesto, or an articulated company purpose go a long way towards helping you

establish your culture.

B E U N I Q U E

Aspire to be great.

10

Let’s face it: You’re not going to have a thriving culture on day one. But aspiring to build the culture you imagine for your

organization will help get others on board with your goal.

A S P I R E T O B E G R E A T

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