“Сopycat” products
Startup culture doesn’t replicate
I honestly say that I get burned by the “Amazon does it, let’s do it too” or “Netflix welcomes radical truth, let’s tell everyone the truth to their face” approach.
Falks, every company’s strengths and weaknesses reflect the pluses and minuses of the founder, and the culture can only be formed as a top-down approach. So if there is a vacuum of culture or a lack of mission, that’s no reason to read books and implement new strategies.
It’s a signal that it’s time to sit down with the founder and decide how and when to fire the CEO. I’m kidding.
It’s a signal that it’s time for the founders to sit down and agree on the game’s rules, first among themselves and then with management.
As a certified change manager, I can confidently state that the employees or the management cannot create the culture, and only the founders can formulate it. Then founders can create the illusion of culture formation through the employees via workshops and a chain of events. Why?
Employees do not give a shit about the company. They just came to get money and did not care about the company’s mission. Please make no mistake about it, dear founder. You feel ownership because you build the venture and have a share in the profits and equity. Employees have other interests in their lives.
The ESOP is not a way to involve employees in the company’s success but only a retention method. The management has a different story; the ESOP program exceeds their salaries.
Therefore, the task of the founders and management is to come up with everything for the employees and then control the adoption of the culture.
Wrap up
Don’t imitate Amazon and Netflix; build your own culture.
Your culture reflects the strengths and weaknesses of the founders.
Culture only emerges top-down.
Employees can’t create a culture, and they can only repeat and adopt.
Employees don’t give a shit about the company; they just work, don’t ask them to care.
Employee option is a way to retain, not a tool to create interest.
I know you have something to say about this. What do you think?