Applying Values and Developing your Remote Team Culture with Bretton Putter Remote Work Productivity & Lifestyle

Allan of RemoteCompass.com chats with Bretton Putter, CEO of CultureGene.ai
Brett is author of Culture Decks Decoded and Own Your Culture.
Show notes:
Brett's team helps clients define, embed, and manage their cultureCompanies in rapid growth find that it's time to invest in company cultureBrett's research suggests that only one out of 10 companies has done anything about their company cultureSocial distancing measures made organizations more aware of the importance of company cultureThe leadership team allowed the four walls of the office to develop and maintain the cultureCompanies that tend to grow rapidly invest in their culture earlyWhen an organization is smaller (e.g. 3-person company) and doesn't expect to grow beyond that, they can get away without being too systematic about their cultureIt's important for co-founders to understand your culture and values as they prepare to hire aggressivelyBeing systematic about your culture has a lot to do with how much and how fast your headcount will changeStart thinking about your culture when you're a team of 15 to 20 as it's difficult to connect with everyone everydayThe first 15 team members are likely hired from the founder's networkBrett suggests there is no such thing as a "good culture". It's about whether one is a good fit for a company or notA culture could be strong yet dysfunctionalA culture is strong when expectations are well-defined and lived by the company on a daily basisYou could have a well-defined culture that doesn't drive the business forwardThe companies with the strongest culture, based on Brett's research, started working remotely from day one, because they didn't have the option to do otherwiseCulture is "the way we do things around here""Culture and brand are two sides of the same coin, but culture comes first"As teams switch from co-located work to remote work, the glue that kept them together is weakeningA well-defined culture brings stability and agilityCompanies that are smart about culture explain what values mean to the organizationValues should be translated to 'expected behaviors'The team should define 3 to 6 behaviors that reflect each company valueIf a company values 'openness', an example behavior is "we don't talk about people behind their backs"Your values should inform who you recognize as employee of the month, hire, promote, etcIf a team member joins a company remotely (e.g. from their own bedroom), they need to hear stories about what's acceptable or notYou must keep repeating your culture's message. You know you're winning when your team's eyes are starting to roll