When I work with companies in growth mode, I often notice an inflection point where the CEO simply can’t keep track of everyone anymore and unwanted behaviours start to pop up. Until this point in their evolution the company has faced challenges but everyone knew where they were headed and what was important. Not so long ago, the founder was communicating with literally everyone on a daily basis. They had no real need for a formal document because it was easy to keep in touch with everyone and everything.
Over the course of time, the company has added more services; revenue is climbing; hiring has begun in earnest and they are teetering on the edge of chaos. Someone just got hired and they don’t seem to be fitting in. You hear someone describing the company’s culture to an outsider and it doesn’t ring true with your perception of what this company is really all about.
At some point, the company just got a little too big to really be on top of everything and ‘wobble’ sets in. There are many symptoms of a ‘wobbly’ culture. We might see gossip starting to emerge. Team members wonder what’s going on in that other department and all kinds of assumptions are being made. Sometimes, it’s a questionable decision that causes discontent and costs resources.
Expectations are not clearly articulated and things have changed. New people don’t know the history of the company or what’s important to the organization. The founder is disturbed by some of the things being said, written or done. The culture is clear to the original team but it takes new recruits longer to figure things out and to know how to behave. They need a roadmap; an instruction manual; the rules of the game. It’s time to get the company’s values clearly laid out for everyone. It’s time for the Vision and Mission to be articulated.