Picture this. It’s July, and the typically dispersed Wild Coffee Marketing team from seven different states has gathered in Fort Lauderdale, FL., for a company retreat. They are watching co-founder Amy Anderson explain a deck like they’ve watched her do over Zoom countless times before.
She describes the Wild Coffee Marketing company’s culture of kindness and hits play on a YouTube video to drive the message home.
Notorious for punctuating a concept with a grand lead-in, Amy’s video about a capsized turtle being helped back on track by its turtle comrade does not play correctly. But it only furthers Amy’s point as the team rallies to help.
That’s our company’s flip-the-turtle culture, better known as a culture of kindness at its finest. It’s the Wild Coffee way to a tee.
Flip-The-Turtle Company Culture
When determining if your company has the flip-the-turtle factor, ask yourself this –
What type of culture has your organization fostered? Is it one where team members will run to assist others who are struggling? While you’re mulling those questions over, let’s discuss what company culture truly is.
Company culture is the values and philosophies that illustrate your organization. These values and perspectives drive employee conduct and ultimately determine their overall happiness and productivity levels.
Examples of Company Cultures
There are several examples of company cultures besides flip the turtle and a culture of kindness, so let’s explore five.
- Altruistic Cultures – this is a purpose-driven culture that focuses on the greater good of society. Organizations that utilize this culture look beyond profits.
- Innovative Cultures – with a keen focus on learning and creativity, this culture emphasizes exploration. Many tech companies operate this way.
- Fun-Focused Cultures – this work culture underlines the importance of employee morale and zeros in on F U N.
- Bottom-Line Cultures – “employee performance.” That’s it. That’s the tweet. This culture is focused on the bottom line and churning out results.
- Authority Cultures – helmed by strong leadership, this culture seeks to be bold and assertive. Often employees look to achieve personal success for themselves and not just for the company.
An underlying theme to remember when determining your own company culture is that no matter what you have, it’s got to be strong. Strong company cultures are vital to the success of any organization.
How Do You Foster A Strong Company Culture?
It starts with understanding your company’s values. These values should be reflected in everything from how you treat customers or clients to your employees. Second, you must live your values daily, not just when it’s convenient or things are going well. Third, you communicate your values to everyone in the organization, from the CEO to the team’s newest member. Finally, you hold everyone accountable for those values through recognition and reward. This helps determine if any team members need to be in alignment.
When everyone in the organization is aligned with the company’s values and living them day-to-day, you create a strong company culture that will lead to long-term success.
Pro tip! Sharing company values with potential clients during the pitching stage will help them understand the consistency they will receive across the entire team.
Kindness As A Value
Research has shown that cultivating kindness as a company value will only add to your competitive edge. It promotes happiness, enhances well-being, supports productivity, and boosts creativity and motivation among team members.
Cultivating this kindness and flip-the-turtle culture can be done in several ways. But here are a quick few:
- Remember the importance of compassion.
- Embrace connection and see team members in their entirety, not just employees.
- Really listen to your team and make changes based on feedback.
- Be open about your vision of the company.
- Encourage laughter!
It’s time to cultivate kindness as a company value. One that employees are increasingly looking for when choosing where to work. From attracting the best talent to driving innovation and creativity, there are endless benefits of having a kind workplace culture. Interested in learning more? Hear co-founder Amy Anderson expand on the importance of company culture, her leadership philosophy, and more on Better Than Before with Tony Richards.
