“You learn more from losses and how your company handles it. Make sure you’re living YOUR values, and your companies’ values align with that.”
Last Friday, we hosted a Virtual Think IT Panel Event on the topic, How Much Does Company Culture Really Matter? A huge thank you to our panelists Chuck Martel, Vice President, Data & Analytics Enablement at Medica; Carissa Rollins, CIO at UnitedHealthcare; Kristofer O’Brien, Director, Global Learning and Leadership Development, Regional Development and GM Development at Medtronic; and Brandon Ngo, Associate Engineer, Cloud Platform Tech at TCF Bank for sharing their thoughts on how important company culture is. Thank you to everyone who joined us as well!
Below you will find an overview of the most popular questions from our members and a summary of what was discussed.
What does company culture mean to you?
Company culture affects everything we are and everything we do. It shapes how we deliver, and the pandemic has made us all much more sensitive and aware of how important culture is. How each team gets things done comes to life through one another and what happens when no one is looking is what shows an authentic company culture.
Peter Drucker said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” How are you establishing a culture that allows your company’s strategic goals to be achieved?
Clients change from year to year, which is why culture may need to change as well. Companies will always have the foundation of their culture, but as new generations come in, it may vary a bit. Companies can have a great culture, but if you don’t have people behind that aren’t practicing it, it won’t work. It’s all about trust and understanding the depths of who you are working with. Believe in something more extensive in yourself and be committed to doing what is right.
Have you left a company because of its culture?
All the panelists agreed that they had left a company because of its culture. They mentioned how usually it is a combination of bad culture and bad leaders. It’s important to know your values before you leave somewhere for their values. Navigating through what is right can help determine if the culture and the company are right for you. It also helps to determine culture through interactions with others.
How do you know if your core values match the culture of a company you are considering joining?
You can tell a company’s values by just walking through the office. Be clear about your values before joining a company and ask a lot of questions. Reputation is sometimes important. At the end of the day, there is a moral imperative for doing your work and doing it well.
Companies are their culture; they don’t just have it.