Crafting a Robust Startup Culture: A Foundational Guide for Entrepreneurs

Over the course of our history we’ve been lucky to help many startups, invest in some of them, answer questions they couldn’t resolve and be by their side in all type of situations. Year after year the same doubt enters Menorca with all of our startups. “How do I create a strong company culture?”. This invisible but crucial component not only anchors the team but pushes the company through its journey. Startups, especially their founders, routinely find themselves ensnared in a web of stress and challenges, making the necessity of a resilient culture even more pronounced.

The Essence of Startup Culture

• Defining Startup Culture

Startup culture is essentially the DNA of any new venture, formed from its values, beliefs, behaviors, and norms. Consider Google, whose culture of “Focus on the user and all else will follow” has been pivotal in transforming it from a startup to a global behemoth.

Being that said, defining the Startup culture is one of the most challenging things for founders, since identifying how to make it scalable without losing the human part of it is not an easy job.

Is very common that founders start with an organic culture that is mainly based on their own values as a person, but at some point, those values need to be reviewed, we will talk about it in a moment.

• Importance of a Strong Culture

Before getting deep into how to identify your core values and ways of working that reflect them, it is important to understand why Culture is key for the success of a company. A potent culture doesn’t just attract adept talent and loyal customers but is also the steadying anchor amidst the storms startups encounter. It molds resilience, ensuring the venture can navigate challenges and scale new peaks.

Culture will be the main tool founders have in the moments they have to make hard decisions, helping them to decide what is the best for the company in a long-term overview and having present the initial purpose and vision the founders had when they started building the startup.

Laying the Foundation: Core Values

• Identifying Core Values

Establishing and adhering to clear, authentic core values provides a compass that guides decision-making and behaviors.

But as we mentioned before, sometimes those values are identified in the beginning of the company as a reflection of the founders will and personality and not thinking clearly on how those values will accompany the Startups life.

Is it common that after a while, some of the defined values are no longer present in the company or that new “hidden values“ appear due to the ways of working the company has.

To be able to identify if the values you choose are still alive or have changed/modified/transformed into new ones we recommend some D-Tips:

1. Create a safe space with your team and talk about each predefined value.

2. Ask them how they see each value is reflected in their daily life at work inviting them to write 3–5 tangible examples.

3. Organize those examples under each value and clusterize the ones that repeat or are similar.

4. You will probably find some of the values with a lot of examples and some of them, with few or none, is it normal, don’t worry.

5. Once you have mapped the current values situation, dedicate some time asking your team members about the “hidden values“ they think exist in the company. Those “hidden values“ might not always be positive, but it is good to know they exist to think on how to work with them and transform a “bad reality“ into a good one. For example, Startups usually have a “Urgency“ way of working, everything is for yesterday and nothing can wait. When this way of working becomes a habit, it can be also understood as a hidden value where team members don’t feel they have time to think and reflect and only to execute.
   If we are aware of this we can change and manage this in a different way by changing the URGENCY value to REFLECTED EFFICIENCY value. This can help the team to know there always exists a need to be efficient, but avoid falling into a toxic wheel of everything is urgent when it is not, and mainly, avoiding the team falling on a “execution-only“ type of work, encouraging them to dedicate time to think, and then, execute.

6. Once we have done this exercise with all team members and hear how they think and feel, we can redefine our values and select 2–3 ways of working / dynamics that will reflect those values on a daily basis.

We recommend reviewing this once in a while, since Startups change a lot and very fast, we should be able to be aware of how those changes are affecting our culture and prevent not losing our values in the way of growth.

Communicating Core Values

As we recommended before, It’s imperative that these values permeate every layer of the organization, aligning every team member and function. Incorporating them into daily communications, recognizing and rewarding alignment, are pivotal in embedding values into operations.

A good practice is to incorporate the “Culture Ambassador“ role, in which different team members ensure the communication and activities are happening aligned with the desired Culture.

Leadership’s Role in Culture Building

• Leading by Example

Leaders are the sculptors of a startup’s culture. Their behaviors, decisiveness, and alignment with stated values carve the cultural edifice of the organization. The adage “Walk the Talk” is never more relevant than it is to a leader.

But also, an important thing about Culture is that it can’t rely only on one shoulder. Leaders have to build leaders that are able to spread the Culture in smaller but relevant acts.

This is key for Culture to scale with the company, since at some point, the founder/s will not be able to be in the daily work due to new responsibilities, and they need to count with new leaders that understand and are able to reflect the culture in the daily work.

• Supporting Team Growth

Facilitating an environment that nurtures continuous learning and growth is paramount. By investing in their team’s development, leaders not only enhance capability but fortify their cultural fabric.

Building a Culture of Well-being

All the things mentioned above are key to a successful Culture, but at Decelera, we thing that the most relevant ingredient that will allow this success to happen is the Founders and Team Well-being:

• Addressing Founder Stress

Founders, perpetually in the eye of the storm, experience unique stresses and challenges. Harnessing mechanisms to decelerate, breathe, and manage stress is critical to not just their wellbeing but that of the startup.

• Promoting Work-Life Balance

A healthy equilibrium between work and personal life isn’t just a perk but a necessity. Encouraging boundaries and respecting personal time isn’t just ethical but enhances productivity and loyalty.

Implementing Inclusive Culture

• The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion

Inclusivity isn’t merely a checkbox but a significant driver of innovation and creativity. A diverse and inclusive team broadens perspectives, enhancing problem-solving and innovation.

• Fostering a Safe and Supportive Environment

A culture where every member feels valued, heard, and safe is non-negotiable. Fair conflict resolution and equitable treatment fortify trust and collaboration within the team.

Conclusion

Startup culture is not just pivotal but foundational to the trajectory and success of the venture. It’s not static but a dynamic, evolving entity that needs to be nurtured, preserved, and adapted by founders and leaders.

We invite founders to share their stories and challenges in sculpting and preserving their startup culture. At Decelera, we not only provide insights and resources but a supportive network to assist you in navigating your venture through its cultural journey.