Establishing Culture
Posted: 10/24/2018; Last Edited: 10/24/2018
By Coach Ryan
Mind Blowing Quote: “Power is gained by sharing knowledge, not hoarding it.” - HS
There are several companies and teams who are synonymous with a strong culture. Apple, Google, Disney, the Lakers and the Patriots are just a few that come to mind when you think of fascinating and powerful cultures. When you think of these cultures you immediately have several characteristics that come to mind for each. Your team’s culture can boost your brand internally and externally. Your culture can also help you get the most out of your current team and to bring in top talent for your future team. I read a great quote from HubSpot, a marketing software company, on the importance of culture. They said, “Culture is to recruiting as product is to marketing. Customers are more easily attracted with a great product. Talented people are more easily attracted with a great culture.” But what exactly is culture and who is responsible for creating it?
HubSpot and many other businesses and teams define culture as a set of shared beliefs, values and practices. Everyone within a team has the power to create and change the culture. However, the head coach has the most influence upon it, which is why a great head coach (CEO) is so valuable. Regardless of whether or not a coach establishes a culture, one will inevitably arise. It is our human nature to form bonds with people who have interests, opinions and abilities similar to our own. As we see across many teams, companies and even politics, cultures can be constructive and destructive. A head coach’s hardest responsibility in creating a culture is aligning everyone’s purpose and core values. Notice, I say “align.” The reality is not everyone’s beliefs, values and practices will be exactly the same but they should be complementary of one another.
From my research, most established cultures provide a team vision consisting of a few essential parts. Typically, you will see a combination of guiding principles, core values, standards and objectives. As a single person, we can often feel powerless to create and change all of those variables. However, there are tools that can help. One tool in particular I have seen in various forms is a culture playbook, handbook, code, etc. HubSpot calls their system their "culture code." A culture code or playbook gives the team a tangible vision for the team. But whatever it is, make it your own. A well designed culture is part who you currently are as a team and part who you want to be. There are many companies and professionals that claim to have the secret formula when it comes to developing a team culture. But much like someone’s diet, there is no “one size fits all” method. You have to experiment with what works and ultimately what connects with your team. You can pay and plan to have the best culture method in the world but if your student-athletes don’t buy-in, it will be all for nothing.
Steps to Discovering, Establishing and Maintaining a Culture
Again, there are many differing opinions on what exactly your culture should contain but there are some specific steps in the process of discovering, establishing and maintaining a culture. Between the Harvard Business Review and my own opinions, I have come up with a process that will guide your team toward a successful culture no matter the team purpose.
- Conduct a culture audit
- Perform both team and individual meetings where you ask questions in regards to where the team's culture currently is and where they want it to be. Don’t talk… just listen. Discover what makes your team tick and research what is needed to be successful within your respective sport or industry (beyond winning a championship).
- Align the team
- This step is key to making sure there's buy-in from the team. Collaborate with your team to come up with ideas and receive feedback when creating the team’s “culture code.” The more invested the team feels, the more they will invest back into the program. So get each individual on board. You can make that task easier by getting the team influencers (influential leaders) on board first.
- Clarify your culture
- As I stated before, there are many strategies to communicate your team’s culture to both your team and outside followers. Regardless of your method, it should be constantly and consistently communicated to your team. Create a culture code, playbook or handbook and discuss it with your student-athletes. The more ingrained it is, the easier it will be to reach greatness.
- Focus on results and build accountability
- As we all know, actions speak louder than words. At this point in the process, your culture has been all words. Now put it into action by holding each student-athlete accountable. Perhaps you could come up with an incentive program that rewards those who buy-in.
- Listen and evolve
- Remember, your team’s culture will be forever evolving. Make it a point to have consistent meetings with your team and student-athletes asking questions about the current culture. Even ask outside collaborators what they think your team’s culture is all about. Is their perception of your team in align with the culture code? You might be surprised with what you hear. Take all the feedback and make the proper adjustments. Over time, your culture will become synonymous with greatness.
- Communicate and celebrate
- Celebrate accordingly when your team has success as it is a direct result of having a great culture. Communicate this success with your team and with others outside the team. As HubSpot so eloquently said, “Talented people are more easily attracted with a great culture.” This may feel like you are giving away your secrets to everyone but in reality no one can duplicate your culture because it is built by the people within your team. Every culture is unique because of the unique people that make it.
Coach Ryan's Win-Win Culture
My goal is to become a head coach for a college cheerleading program. As a future head coach, I often think about the culture I want to help establish with my team. In general, I want to create a culture that is centered around win-win relationships. During my 7 years in intercollegiate athletics, both as a student-athlete and as a coach, I have found that amateur student-athletes often find themselves wondering what they get out of the college athletics experience. Having been on both sides of the coin, I can certainly understand their uncertainty. Today’s college athletics demands more and more from the student-athletes every year and every year team success continues to be determined by wins and losses. It should be more than that. Every head coach should be responsible for developing their student-athletes holistically; professionally, academically, personally and athletically. I intend on finding all the various ways to make that happen for my team so they feel they are getting the most out of the experience. Ultimately, if I invest 100% into my student-athletes then they will invest 100% back into the program, which will bring success for themselves and myself. Now, that sounds like a WIN-WIN.
