AGREEMENT NONO TION TTION T ALENT AALENT A SS JUST DO IT BE ASPIRATIONAL SESSES Agreement does not have to be organic, Though you should be honest, make particularly when it is an ephemeral thing sure you are also aspirational and that SMENTSMENT like culture. Agreement should come from the culture and values can scale with the the top. Earlier is better than later, as company. HIroki Takeuchi, Co-founder and CEO of GoCardless, has said “At GoCardless we first DEFINE THE ARTEFACTS worked on the culture and values when This is critical in order to ensure that we were around 30 people. I’d encourage the culture and values mean the same to founders to tackle it, ideally, before this…. every employee and that the company Really try to get it done as soon as you can follows up on the espoused culture. because it dictates who you hire and how Artefacts can be physical: The Palo Alto you onboard them.” office of IDEO famously has an airplane wing jutting out from one wall, signalling BE HONEST IDEO’s culture of playful experimentation Though the founder(s) decides on the and free expression. They can also be culture and values at this early stage, make procedural: Zappos offered a $4,000 sure they actually reflect the reality of the quitting bonus during new hire training company. You cannot have a culture of for incoming employees to leave the “always shipping great products” and “move company fast and break things”, or “Output, not input” and then demand everyone works This sends a clear value statement. 9-6pm, for example. 1212