Advice on Building Company Culture

People spend a lot of time talking about "company culture" in Silicon Valley. What does it take to create the right kind of culture? How can you maintain that culture? Do you need a mission statement? Should you have a mascot? At first blush it sounds like a bunch of mushy-gushy nonsense. But every great company I've had the good fortune to work with has maintained a strong, independent, identifiable culture. And that culture has served to unify and energize the company and its employees.

One thing that is certain, no two company cultures are the same. Even successive companies built by the same people, like children born of the same parents, come out a little bit different. Some companies are playful and fun. Their employees jam in bands together, wear bright colored company clothing, model for corporate brochures. Other companies are intense and driven. Their employees appreciate complete transparency, celebrate each increase in conversion, work after dinner on Friday nights. No one culture is better than another. Whatever motivates, energizes and inspires your employees to build a big company over the long run, is just the culture you are looking for.

So what does it take to build a strong culture? That's a tough question. And one that is rarely tackled systematically. Tony Hsieh takes on the topic in his new book "Delivering Happiness," in which he gives a great account of the many things that he did to make Zappos' corporate culture flourish. And in a recent talk given by Scott Weiss, former CEO of IronPort, he enumerated the many things that he did maintain a strong and unified culture at IronPort. Scott is a widely respected leader and CEO, and one need look no further than his list to understand why -- Scott suggests the following 20 rules of thumb while building a company for 0 to 250 employees:

Interview every new employee (until 50 then interview everyone that will manage others)
Spend 30 minutes per week on Mondays talking to new employees as part of their first day. Stop by their desk within a month to see how things are going.
Have lunch with every employee (After 50 you can take 2 out at a time) and get to know them not only by name but some details about them.
Hold at least one all hands meeting (at least two execs should speak, not just you) every quarter
Go over the real board slides after every board meeting – let everyone know what was discussed.
At every meeting with all employees, you must set aside 30 minutes for questions and press for no fewer than 5.
An email (or internal blog) to all after every customer trip, conference attended or major news from a competitor e.g. notes from the road
Personally roll out the values, strategy, and history of the company during a comprehensive employee orientation within the first 90 days.
Attend every company function, event and party as though you are the host
Review every significant communication to ALL and ask your team to review yours before it goes out.
Give a performance review to your direct reports at least twice per year, spending no less than 5 hours preparing each person’s review and at least an hour giving it. Get 360 feedback in person.
Set annual and quarterly goals (between 2-5 is about right although I prefer three) as a company as well as each individual employee.
Promote mainly from within and always based solely on performance.
Personally roll out the performance review process to everyone – you are the lead speaker, not human resources.
Emphasize "speaking up" as a value every time you get the chance (e.g. interviews, evaluations, all hands, employee orientation and lunches)
Follow the rules e.g. fly coach, park in the back lot, have a modest office
Constantly demonstrate that no task or chore is beneath you. E.g. Fill the coke machine, clean up after a group lunch, pack a box, and carry the heavy crap.
When a team has to work a weekend, you need to be there too - even if it's just to stop by and buy them a meal to show your appreciation.
When something really goes wrong, you need to take all the blame.
When something really goes right, you need to give all the credit away.
I couldn't agree more with Scott's suggestions. Company culture starts from the top and can only thrive if it is promoted and supported at every cross-road. But, it is also a ton of work. When I suggest to Scott that it was a huge time commitment to deliver on all of these recommendations, Scott responded, "it was very time intensive but totally worth it... I firmly believe that if you want to have a culture where employees contribute broadly to solving problems outside of their area, it starts with the CEO being approachable/authentic and someone who pays attention to the people ecosystem. Employees then need to be current on what the companies problems are and then constantly encouraged to help solve them."

Great advice all around. Creating the right company culture is hard but invaluable. My thanks to Scott for sharing his thoughts on the topic.

How culture can invert genetic risk

Neuron Culture has a fantastic piece on how a long touted ‘depression gene’ turned out to reduce the risk of mood problems in people in East Asians and why we can’t always understand genetic effects on behaviour without understanding culture.

The piece riffs on the long-established finding that the short variant of the serotonin transporter or 5-HTTLPR gene is more common in people with depression, until psychologist Joan Chiao found that East Asians are more than twice as likely to have the gene but only have half the rate of mood problems.

Why is this the case? Probably because 5-HTTLPR isn’t so much a gene for depression, but more likely for social sensitivity, and East Asian culture is more likely to be collectivist, where social connections matter more in your psychological make-up:

So how does individualism-v-collectivism relate to depression and depression genes? Here Chiao and Blizinsky, as well as Way and Lieberman (these connections were apparently ripe) turned to another emerging idea: That the short SERT gene seems to sensitize people not just to bad experience, but to all experience, good or bad…

This starts to explain the purported interplay of the S/S allele and a collectivist culture: If short-SERT people get more out of social support, a more supportive culture could buffer them against depression, easing any selective pressure against the gene. Meanwhile the gene’s growing prevalence would make the culture increasingly supportive, since those who carry it might be more empathetic. Studies have shown, for instance, that short-SERT people more readily recognize and react to others’ emotional states.

For those who keep an eye on such things, Neuron Culture has just become part of the newly launched Wired Science blog network which is already full of great stuff.

Bunaken: Breathtaking Underwater Life

Ever fancy yourself being a mermaid? Being able to swim along with other creatures of the sea , moving to the rhythm of the waves? In the Bunaken Marine Park, you will encounter a real “mermaid”, and you can also get a glimpse of sea life here.

Bunaken is an 8.08 km² island in the Bay of Manado, situated in the north of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Bunaken forms part of the administrative city of Manado , capital of North Sulawesi. The marine Park around Bunaken is part of the National Park that also includes the ocean around the island of Manado Tua – or Old Manado, Siladen and Mantehage.

Within the Bunaken Marine Park, visitors can see various strange and colourful marine life along its sea bed. To reach this park, you can take a motorboat. The journey from Manado takes around 40 minutes. Entrance fee is 25,000 rupiahs per person per visit.

The translucent waters of the Bunaken seas enable people to clearly view numerous sea biota. There are 13 species of coral reefs in this park, dominated by edge ridges and block ridges of rocks. The most attractive view is the steep vertical sloppy coral reef that plunges down as deep as 25-50 meters.

Feast your eyes on 91 types of fish found in the Bunaken National Park, amongst which are the locally known gusimi horse fish (Hippocampus), the white oci (Seriola rivoliana), yellow-tailed lolosi (Lutjanus kasmira), goropa (Ephinephelus spilotoceps and Pseudanthias hypselosoma), ila gasi (Scolopsis bilineatus) and others.

Divers may also meet mollusk like the giant kima (Tridacna gigas), goat head (Cassis cornuta), nautilus (Nautilus pompillius) and tunikates/ascidian.

For those who enjoy scuba diving, this is a great place to be. With about 20 dive spots to choose from, divers will have the chance to swim below the sea, and frolic joyfully while admiring the sea creatures.

Make sure to visit Bunaken during its best season between May to August. That way you can explore the Park to its fullest.

Naborgo Borgo, Kearifan Lokal di Batang Gadis

Taman Nasional Batang Gadis (TNBG) berada di Kabupaten Mandailing Natal (Madina), Sumatera Utara. Nama taman nasional ini berasal dari dari nama sungai utama yang mengalir dan membelah Kabupaten Madina, Sungai Batang Gadis.

Sudah sejak lama masyarakat Madina menjalankan kearifan lokal yang masih bertahan sampai saat ini. Secara tradisional masyarakat telah melindungi hutan alam dan sumber air serta memanfaatkan sumberdaya alam secara bijaksana, misalnya melalui tata cara lubuk larangan, penataan ruang banua/huta, tempat keramat 'naborgo-borgo' atau 'harangan rarangan' (hutan larangan) yang tidak boleh diganggu dan dirusak.

Hutan dan Lubuk larangan dalam konsepsi tradisional adalah bagian dari suatu kawasan hutan milik suatu kampung yang tidak boleh dibuka untuk lahan pertanian atau kayunya tidak boleh diambil untuk keperluan perabot rumah. Kawasan demikian biasa juga dipercaya sebagai tempat yang dihuni oleh mahluk-mahluk halus yang menunggu hutan. Ada kepercayaan bahwa melanggar tabu untuk memasuki tempat-tempat demikian akan menyebabkan petaka bagi pelakunya.

Selain pada lingkungan hutan, konsep larangan tersebut juga berlaku untuk suatu kawasan tertentu di kawasan bagian aliran sungai. Bagian-bagian yang biasa dipantangkan bagi penduduk untuk menangkap ikan di dalam sungai adalah di lubuk-lubuk yang dalam dan diatasnya terdapat pohon-pohon besar yang berdaun rimbun. Tempat demikian juga dipercaya sebagai tempat ”penunggu” dan terlarang untuk melakukan aktivitas yang bisa mengganggu keberadaan mahluk-mahluk gaib yang mendiaminya.

Dalam pandangan hidup masyarakat Mandailing, air merupakan 'mata air kehidupan' yang bertali-temali dengan institusi sosial, budaya, ekonomi dan ekologis, sehingga harus dilindungi keberadaannya.

TNBG merupakan bagian dari Daerah Aliran Sungai (DAS) Batang Gadis. DAS ini sangat penting artinya sebagai penyedia air yang teratur untuk mendukung kelangsungan hidup dan kegiatan perekonomian utama masyarakat, yaitu pertanian.

Beragamnya jenis flora dan fauna yang ditemui cukup untuk menjadikan alasan bahwa kawasan Batang Gadis ini perlu segera dilindungi, guna menekan laju kepunahan flora dan fauna di taman nasional itu.

Objek wisata di Madina, berpusat pada desa-desa yang berada di kawasan Taman Nasional Batang Gadis (TNBG). Yakni Desa Sibanggor Jae, Sibanggor Tonga dan Sibanggor Julu. Gunung Sorik Marapi setinggi 2.145 meter, pendakiannya bisa dilakukan melalui desa Sibanggor Julu.

Masyarakat Lubuk Jambi, Punya Tradisi Unik

Setiap tahun setelah hari raya seperti di Idul Fitri 1431 Hijriyah.Masyarakat Kuantan Singingi menggelar beragam tradisi budaya yang unik.

Masyarakat Lubuk memiliki budaya perahu baganduang (Perahu yang digandeng dua atau tiga) sepanjang sungai batang kuantan.

Keunikkannya terletak pada perahu yang digandeng dua atau tiga unit, dengan dihiasi berbagai macam atribut berupa tonggak (tiang) yang diberi lambang tanduk kerbau, hiasan gambar Presiden dan Wakil Presiden, cermin, payung dan kubah masjid.

Bupati Kuansing H. Sukarmis diwakili Asisten Ekonomi dan Pembangunan H. Marduyut mengatakan, tradisi ini memiliki keunikan meski di daerah lain juga ada perahu hias akan tetapi keunikkan serta makna yang terkandung di dalamnya berbeda.

Hal ini disebabkan, makna yang terkandung dalam perahu ini lebih spesifik dan memberi pencerahan, petunjuk ajaran dan melambangkan kehidupan yang dialami masyarakat saat ini.

Misalnya payung dalam perahu melambangkan tempat berlindung, tanduk kerbau melambangkan masyarakat hidup dalam peternakan, kubah masjid melambangkan beragama Islam, bulan dan bintang melambangkan mengaji di surau dan masjid.

"Tradisi budaya Perahu Bergandeng ini jangan sampai menjadi slogan semata, akan tetapi harus dilestarikan untuk dapat dikunjungi para wisatawan," paparnya.

Tokoh masyarakat Drs. Nasrun Rasyid menilai perahu yang dimiliki masyarakat Lubuk Jambi ini tidak ada duanya di Indonesia dan sangat indah dipandang serta memiliki keunikkan tersendiri.

Oleh karena itu, perlu diperkenalkan kepada para wisatawan di masa mendatang karena tradisi ini tidak pernah datang begitu saja, akan tetapi memerlukan proses bertahun-tahun lamanya, ujarnya.

Perahu bergandeng yang ditampilkan tahun ini diikuti sebanyak delapan buah yang berasal dari lima desa, yang hilir dari hulu sungai kuantan dan menuju pancang finish (berjarak satu kilometer).

Semua perahu yang dihias indah bersama awaknya, secara beriringan dengan dipertontonkan kepada masyarakat yang berjejel di pinggir sungai kuantan melaju ke tujuan akhir yang ditentukan.

Keraton Yogyakarta, Pesonanya Pikat Ribuan Wisatawan

Karaton, Keraton atau Kraton, berasal dari kata ka-ratu-an, yang berarti tempat tinggal ratu/raja. Sedang arti lebih luas, diuraikan secara sederhana, bahwa seluruh struktur dan bangunan wilayah Kraton mengandung arti berkaitan dengan pandangan hidup Jawa yang essensial, yakni Sangkan Paraning Dumadi (dari mana asalnya manusia dan kemana akhirnya manusia setelah mati).

Seperti yang terdapat di yogyakarta,berdiri sebuah keraton seluas 5 km persegi yang memiliki sejarah panjang sultan yogyakarta.keraton ini di bangun pada tahun 1755 atau 1682 dalam tauhn jawa.

"Keraton ini dibangun pada tahun 1755 atau 1682 (tahun jawa) dan didirikan oleh Hadininingrat Ngayojakarta, waktu masih muda beliau dipanggil Susono," kata Suno (58), salah seorang pemandu keraton Yogyakarta, saat ditemui HIMPALAUNAS.COM, Minggu (19/9).

Keraton yang letaknya di apit oleh dua alun-alun ini berfungsi sebagai kegiatan kenegaraan yogyakarta dan juga kegiatan-kegiatan budaya.

"Keraton ini biasanya di gunakan sebagai kegiatan kenegaraan sultan dan juga sebagai tempat pergelaran tari-tarian," lanjut suno.

Karena keindahan struktur bangunannya dan beragam kesenian yang ada didalamnya, ribuan turis pun mengunjungi keraton ini setiap bulannya, baik wisatawan asing maupun lokal.

Sekitar 4.880 wisatan asing mengunjungi kraton ini dan 14.000 wisatawan lokal memenuhi kraton selama bulan puasa.

"Selama 18 hari,sekitar 14 ribuan wisatawan lokal mengunjungi kraton ini.dan 4.880 wisatawan asing memadati tempat ini" kata Aryanti (50) salah seorang staff kraton lainnya

Ia juga menambahkan pihak kraton sendiri tidak melakukan promosi untuk lebih meningkatkan pariwisata kraton"pihak kraton tidak melakukan promosi,malah orang asing yang mempromosikan obyek wisata kraton," tutupnya.