Especially in large and rapidly-growing companies, building and maintaining the ideal company culture can be a challenge. There are many studies about where company culture is derived from, if it is enforced more formally or informally, and whether it is passed down from the executive level or molded by the masses. The reality is that culture is present in all aspects of the organization, and every member is responsible for building, reforming and enforcing it.
Obviously leadership plays a huge role in how culture is presented and demonstrated to new hires, which makes culture a top-down function. But it’s really how those new hires interact and assimilate with the rest of the employees that reinforces culture. Culture requires both a top-down and bottom-up approach, with all organization members acting to embrace, cultivate and build on it as the company grows and spreads out. The more an organization grows, the more leadership must depend on others in the organization to develop and disperse culture.
One of the first things a Seismic employee hears on their first day is “welcome to the Seismic family.” This may sound cliché, as many companies refer to themselves as close-knit as a family. But when your company is made up of multiple sets of siblings and cousins, childhood friends and lifelong neighbors, that family aspect is real. Seismic takes pride in hiring trusted family and friends, so it truly does feel like a family. I saw this idea of top-down/bottom-up culture materialize the other night, after Seismic Shakes Boston, our official office-warming party for our new Boston digs.
It was amazing to see the office packed with employees, customers, family and prospective recruits. While Seismic Shakes was a celebration itself, nearly every member of Seismic that attended the event went out after to celebrate such a successful night. The after-party began with a monumental toast from Uncle Rob (this is a real nickname, I wasn’t kidding about the family feel). But it didn’t stop with one toast… Rob passed it on to another team member, who passed it to another, and so on. Each echoed the same sentiments of “family,” fun, and hard work.
This to me was proof of a consistent company culture. Seeing employees, old and new, echo the same ideas and feelings about being a part of the Seismic team and excitement for what’s to come made it clear that Seismic’s culture is right where it was when I started last year. If you ask our founders they’ll say the same thing: we’re still the same group of hardworking, relentless, crazy people, there are just more of us.
Building a company culture requires a healthy balance of influence from leadership and the growing pool of other employees. It involves bringing on the right people who will continue to cherish and build that culture. It can be tough to find the balance, but the companies that do, even amidst rapid growth, are the ones that will see all-around success.
