Architecting Your Startup's Cultural Foundations

We're thrilled to be hosting Next Big Thing’s first ever Culture Catalyst workshop series this month. Over the course of three weeks, startup founders will dive deep into the essential elements of purposefully designing and nurturing a strong, healthy workplace culture from the ground up.

One of the core principles we'll explore is the outsized influence and responsibility founders have in shaping the culture of their nascent companies. As the visionary and leader bringing a startup into existence, the founder plays a pivotal role in establishing the cultural foundations.

Too often, company culture is left to chance – an unhappy accident borne from the founder's blind spots, lack of intentionality, or simply not making culture a priority amidst all the other urgent matters of getting a business off the ground. But culture should not be an afterthought. The cultures (and businesses) that thrive are those that are thoughtfully cultivated from day one.

Founders are the original culture architects. Their vision, values, behaviors, and priorities form the bedrock of their company's culture. Every hire, policy, ritual, and communication reinforces or contradicts the culture they're aiming to create. And make no mistake, if you do not intentionally build a culture, a culture will still grow – you may just not like what appears!

Therefore, exercising this cultural architect role is one of the most important responsibilities founders have.

For anyone who wants to be an effective cultural leader, you start with having a clear definition of the culture you want to build. What are the core values, working principles, and environmental characteristics that will bring your vision for an exceptional workplace to life? How do you want people to experience life at your company?  

From there, you must embed and reinforce those desired cultural elements into every nook and cranny of your startup's operating reality. Your leadership team, hiring practices, recognition systems, physical space, meetings, traditions – all of it should be purposefully designed as an expression of the culture you're trying to shape.

This goes beyond putting values on a wall. Founders and leaders must walk the talk through their everyday behaviors and decisions, constantly communicating the culture through their actions. You set the tone and the benchmark that everyone else will look to.

As your company grows, you'll need to bring in others who resonate with and can amplify the cultural forces you've established. Protecting that original cultural vision from getting diluted or derailed will be of critical importance.   

Culture is a living, breathing entity that requires sustained nourishment, iteration, and militant nurturing. It's a monumental responsibility that falls squarely on the shoulders of the founder. But shaping an intentional culture also represents one of the most powerful advantages you can bake into your startup from the beginning.  

At Culture Catalyst, we'll dive deeper into how founders can rise to this fundamental challenge, sharing proven frameworks and lessons learned from leaders who have been successful and not-so-successful cultural architects along their journeys.

Two spots are still available for our inaugural Culture Catalyst workshop series kicking off this Wednesday, August 7. As a startup founder, learning how to purposefully design and nurture your company's cultural roots is one of the most impactful investments you can make.

Secure your spot today and join us for this transformative three-week experience.