Building a community

You’re probably aware of the old corporate trope – we are like family here. But let’s be honest for a moment – for the majority of people, coworkers are never going to be as important as our closest family members. But, while that may be true, coworkers are still an important part of our life. We all spend a significant amount of time in a common space and interact with each other on a daily basis, so it is important that everyone is aware that even if we are not a family, we are de facto a community. This means that our interpersonal relationships are truly what defines the company culture overall, including whether the office actually feels like a community, or not.

So, let’s see how we can accomplish that with a few simple guidelines, and in the process try to find out why we have kafkaesque in the title.😰

Hiring

The first stage of directing what the culture will look like is undoubtedly the hiring process. Since organizational culture is created via interactions, having a good hiring process is crucial for finding people who will fit your vision, and of course, weeding out any undesirable behavior. That seems simple enough on its own, but there is also a hidden key point here – hiring shouldn’t be done by a single dedicated person (i.e. company owner, or HR), the people who are going to work with your potential candidate should be involved in the hiring process. After all, the new employee must gel with the organization, not just the people doing the interviews.

Lead by example / Show, don’t tell

If you tell people to never do something, but you’re doing it yourself, you’re not going to be taken seriously. People in communities inform their behavior through imitation, often unconsciously. The way you behave, communicate, and work on a daily basis – all of it will be observed and infused into the company culture. And if you are in any sort of leadership position, this effect is greatly magnified. Although this works for all levels of the organization, the behavior at the top matters the most, as the old saying goes – fish stinks from the head.

Treat others as humans, not coworkers

Remember the human behind the coworker. This may seem obvious at first, but it is important to remember that every coworker is an individual with their own rich personal life, hopes, dreams, and of course – problems. While we are all in the company to do work and fulfill a specific role, we shouldn’t lose track of the fact that people have their ups and downs which can affect their work performance. The role we perform at work is just one facet of our existence, so be kind. Speaking of kindness…

Be kind towards people who make mistakes

Mistakes happen, inevitably, so we want to foster an atmosphere where it is okay to make mistakes, it’s not the end of the world. Mistakes should not be used to punish and humiliate people, they should be taken as an opportunity to learn and grow. Try not to fall into the trap of finding who made the mistake to reprimand them, but instead try to find out why it happened, and what can we do to avoid it in the future. When someone makes a mistake, they are probably already feeling pretty bad – try not to make them feel even worse.

As a semi-humorous aside: even if the mistake was an expensive one, punitive measures might not make much sense – you just paid a hefty sum for someone to learn a painful lesson they probably won’t forget for the rest of their lives. Are you sure you want to have this person working for your competition now that you’ve spent so much on their training?

Value honesty over false pretenses

No matter how good of a liar and manipulator you may think you are, people are pretty good at detecting bullshit dishonesty. And generally speaking, people will always prefer honesty and directness (note that directness doesn’t also mean crassness). Getting away with manipulation may work in the short term, but once it is discovered [and it is highly likely it will be discovered], you’ve lost everyone’s trust, possibly forever.

In addition to that, if there is no specific reason for something to be discussed behind closed doors (such as NDA restrictions), share it. Information wants to be free. Even if it is not good news, it is better to be direct and open with it, instead of allowing bad news to percolate on its own. Openness increases trust, and reduces the chances of misinformation spreading around, and potentially causing harm.

Respect people’s personal space and privacy

As mentioned above, we are a community, but a community is made up of individuals, and individuals need their personal space and privacy. Unless you’re invited to do so, try not to pry into people’s personal lives, and avoid gossiping at all costs. This does not mean that you shouldn’t try to get to know people (quite the contrary!), but be aware that everyone will have their own level of sharing with which they are comfortable.

Ask for, and provide help when it’s needed

Sooner or later, everybody gets stuck with something, and requires outside assistance. We should strive to create an environment where there is no shame or any other kind of stigma associated with asking for help. It is literally impossible for a single person to know everything, so asking for help is not a sign of weakness. However, not providing it when you have an opportunity to do so – is. Never fall into the trap of trying to make yourself irreplaceable. Even if that were possible, it would still be a bad idea™.

Enable people to thrive

In any leadership role, your primary purpose and responsibility is to enable people around you to be the best version of themselves that they can be. This will mean different things to different people, and you should learn to recognise that, find out what makes people tick, and help them achieve their goals. Given the high quality of people we (hope to) select during our hiring process, for the most part this means you’ll just need to point people in the right direction and watch them thrive on their own. You should of course still be there to smooth out any rough edges.

Be aware of your surroundings

We don’t want to create a stuffy corporate environment in our offices, but we do want to be mindful of the fact that actual work is being conducted (well, hopefully!😄). This means that we should nurture mindfulness about other people around us, and be careful not to create unnecessary distractions. This includes, but is not limited to: unnecessary loud noises, unnecessary meetings, not disturbing people when they are in focus time (headphones in use and/or closed office doors are a good indicator), cleaning up after yourself and generally taking care of common areas (conference rooms, restrooms, kitchen, etc.).

Be inclusive

Last but definitely not least: have a zero-tolerance policy for any sort of bullying or discrimination. If you witness either one of those in person, react immediately if possible, or resolve the issue privately, but never overlook it or “let it slide this one time”. Nobody should ever feel uncomfortable coming to work, regardless of their age, gender, skin color, sexual orientation, appearance, religion, or any other intrinsic property. Be aware of societal power dynamics at all times. After all, humans have a long history of unity in diversity.