The term “company culture” means a lot of things to a lot of people.
For some, it’s go-karting and laser tag. 🔫 🏎
For others, it’s having a little too much team spirit. 📣
A lot of people think companies with strong cultures are cults. After all, you can’t spell culture without cult. 🐍
When I talk about company culture, I’m not talking about any of that stuff. I’m talking about a company’s mission statement (its purpose), vision statement (its big dream), and values (its core beliefs).
This is who we are, how we work, where we’re going, and why we do what we do.
A company’s culture is not a “can’t quite put my finger on it” vibe. The culture should be clearly defined and demonstrated in the interview process, in orientation, and lived out daily life at the office.
When a company is clear about its culture, the right people will opt in and others will know to look for a culture that better aligns with their own work philosophies. You never want anyone to be bamboozled by the culture after accepting a job.
For example, one of The Escape Game’s values is “Excellence: we are relentless in our pursuit to be the best.” This means working at The Escape Game is committing to care about your work. It’s a commitment to be competitive, to desire to win, not just participate.
If this inspires you, you’d probably be a good fit at The Escape Game. If not, there are other companies that would be a better fit.
When a team is aligned around the mission, vision, and values, the result is chemistry. You don’t create chemistry with team rituals, inside jokes, and happy hours. Chemistry, the magical motivator that enhances collaboration, comes from alignment.
