Whoever said that performance and results matters more than culture is lying. You can’t get performance or results without culture.
How do you get to your results? Is your culture an aggressive “take-no-prisoner” or “churn-and-burn”? Or, is it filled with ping-pong tables and stocked kitchens with a mix of free-rider and die-for-the-cause employees?
We’re often asked about how approach building and scaling culture, probably because we believe it is the very foundation of a great business. At OBEO, we focus first on the culture, then the ecosystem, then the brand. In that order. It’s that important.
Where did we start?
As we leaned into why we do what we do, we recognized that passion only goes so far with products and services. Going through the good and bad times requires something much deeper. Think of the most extreme situations you’ve had in your business career. You may not remember the details of pricing or code, but you surely will remember who fought the battles with you! You see true grit when you experience stretching situations together.
When we re-founded OBEO, very few positive voices made it through the thick fog of negativity. But what inspired us the most is how our people responded. They believed that we had a come-back story to tell, and their actions showed their commitment to write the story.
It starts with the right people.
Right people
Warren Buffet once said:
“Look for three things in a person:
- Intelligence
- Energy
- Integrity
If they don’t have the last one, don’t ever bother!”
The foundation of determining whether you have the right people is trust. There are different levels of trust. Getting the right mix of trust in your organization means that whatever the current business, you will be able to adapt to evolving markets. This is by far the most eyebrow raising part of culture building for many people: adopt and embrace change. We believe that if your business looks the same in 5 years, you’re already out of position and may be out of business. People with the capacity of trust will capitalize on current opportunities while helping position for the future. And they will naturally embrace the change!
Your business is a reflection of your people. It’s all about the people. At OBEO, we picked some amazing people to start our journey and we look forward to adding more.