When a member of our sales team uttered the statement used as this article’s headline, it caught my attention. She was exactly right. When a culture becomes a tangible, actual “thing,” it is like a cult. Protocols are established, expectations are clear, a leader emerges, and everyone is loyal and dedicated to the cause. It’s a cult. Being from Texas, a large culture of Dallas Cowboys fans are die-hard, paint-my-face, flag-in-the-front-yard, personalized-license-plate, fans. These fans are like a cult — a group of dedicated fans who love them regardless if they lose or win. Who wouldn’t want Cowboys-level loyalty to your brand? We should all crave die-hard fans! This feeds right into our companies’ cultures and brands.

Your culture should be a tangible thing. You should feel it, see it, hear it, experience it, and be able to identify it. To create a cult-like culture, we have to be intentional about what our brand experience is designed to be. When we are intentional about how our culture is perceived, we control the perception. We have a lot of opportunities to win more employees and retain employees and customers as well. A good culture is addictive, like a tall glass of sweet tea on a hot Texas afternoon. People want to be a part of things that are successful. We have a fear of missing out on something cool and fun. So, how do we do it?

1. Decide your “vibe.” Are you wanting to be the fun environment full of large video game rooms, pool tables, and cornhole? Or, are you built around concepts of fostering personal growth with bible studies, resource sharing, and professional development? Once you know what style is most effective for your desired outcome, be intentional about keeping everything synergistic. If you’re going for the cool-kids club, everything needs to fit into that, and it sets the tone for a fun environment. If you tend to lean to the more professional side, having something totally wild and super “fun” might not be on brand for you. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a cornhole tournament at your next event, but it does mean you would be intentional about incorporating the fun side of your business.
2. Plan. Plan. Plan. Cultures are made by being intentional, and being intentional means being planned. Things don’t just happen. We need to dedicate time to plan out our intentionality. Decide when your company meetings are going to happen. Decide when your employee engagement is going to happen. Decide how you’re going to win your team over and create the culture.
3. Set expectations with your leadership team by expecting them to set an example. Your leadership team must be the epitome of the culture you’re wanting to implement. To do this, start with the leadership having a deep understanding of what culture means. Cast your vision to them. Help them understand the importance, impact, and fallout. When coaching the leadership team, do so in a way that fosters collaboration and buy in. When your leadership team has buy in, they will promote the culture in a more intentional and impactful way.

Examples:

1. Host an Employee Event. Celebrate the end of your busy season by hosting an event that just wins your employee base! Host a cookout where the leadership team serves the field team by cooking out and letting the team just have a good time together. Play some good music, have tables and chairs, serve good drinks, and offer good food. This fosters the idea of building intercompany relationships and humanizes each team member with other team members. It shows the leadership is willing to serve their team and acknowledge their contributions.
2. Snack Station. Sounds corny, right? It’s a small investment for a big impact. Intentionally designing a “snack station” at your office that is easily accessible by your field team will get noticed. Spend some time to have it set up nicely, have a variety of items, and offer them no cost. Depending on your team (and your vibe!) the snacks would vary but could include salty snacks like peanuts, chips, etc.

What really matters is being intentional about what you want to create and why. Understanding why you are doing something to build your culture and trusting the process is so important to the overall success of the effort given. So, here’s your chance to win. Win employees, win their families, and win the game of recruitment and retainment. Let’s buckle up, sip some cool culture lemonade, and bring home the prize of being cool, pun intended.