Building a Company Culture that Matters.

“If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff, like delivering great customer service or building a long-term enduring brand or business, will just be a natural byproduct.” Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos

Have you heard of Zappos? They are a company out of Las Vegas that sells shoes, sneakers, boots, and clothing. They also sell culture, or ideas on how to create a culture that matters, thus the creation of Zappos Insights.

Here is a link to a video from Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos sharing why culture became his “jam”:

https://www.zapposinsights.com

When Tony started his first company in college, he ultimately wound up selling it. He sold it because he was not happy going to work there anymore. It no longer aligned with his values, and it simply wasn’t fun for him.

Christa Foley, Culture Advisor & Director of Zappos Insights, said, “a set of core values by which his company operated had not been identified and therefore, the culture of the organization shifted to something he didn’t like.”

Christa goes on to explain, “We know that if you identify your company’s core values, hire by them, onboard team members by them, and truly live them, then you can get out of the way, and your team will do the best job for you and your customers.

Research shows that companies with a higher purpose and a strong company culture out perform their peer groups financially in the long run. It also creates an overall feeling of happiness and meaning for employees. They feel like they are making a difference in the world. And who doesn’t want to feel like what they are doing matters?

Here is a great story about feeling like you matter. While visiting the NASA space center in 1962, President John F. Kennedy interrupted his tour to speak to a man holding a broom. He walked over to him and said, “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?” 

“Well, Mr. President,” the janitor responded, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.” 

To most people, this janitor was just cleaning the building, but to President Kennedy and to the janitor, he was helping to make history.

Each and every one of us at OTA are making a difference as we help to enrich lives around the world through our transformative financial education.

Although making a difference may be difficult to measure at times, Tony has a great reply, “Just because you can’t measure the ROI of something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. What’s the ROI on hugging your mom?”

We invite you to explore ways to help enrich our company culture and in turn not only be the best company we can be, but create purpose and meaning for all, while having fun along the way!