Webster’s defines culture as this: … the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.

Wikipedia has a more specific description of corporate culture: … an idea in the field of Organizational Studies and management which describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an organization. It has been defined as “the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization”.

I like the Wiki explanation because it directs the use of the term to those “outside” the organization as well as being a guide for internal conduct.

One of the base philosophies of our culture at lee|stafford is the simple method of relating to what is human and positive within most of us already.  Without getting caught up too much in morality, most sane people understand that taking from another person is wrong.  Most of us understand when we’ve hurt others, and most of the time our intent is not to do so.

So how does that sentiment create a corporate culture?  Well, those points don’t create culture, they’re extreme examples, but they illustrate a point.  Most of us already know the difference between right and wrong.  Having an environment that fosters “doing right” creates a culture that is positive.  Simply put, it’s the “Do Right Rule”.  If you are a part of an organization that promotes those who do right and punishes those who do wrong evenly, then the basis for a strong culture is built.

In all organizations, from the last employee on the org chart to the top “C-level” player, folks want to be part of something positive and fulfilling.

Notice I’m not using the word “win”.  You always hear that, “We want to be a part of a winning culture”.  Well I always want to know who defines the word “win”. A win for a single mother of two is surely much different than a win for a single male with no kids and a trust fund.

If you base your entire culture on winning and losing then you’ve already lost the hearts and minds of those who you rely on.  Most of us don’t measure our daily lives in terms of wins and losses.  And, I’m not even sure that such a late-80’s ideal even relates to the average American anymore.  Do you really care if the guy down the street has a Porsche?  A better question might be; is that Porsche is paid for or did the person down the street mortgage his entire life to make you think he’s a winner?

So do you really try to keep up with the Joneses or has that inglorious way of life shown itself to be the greatest marketing lie since Milli Vanilli?

So what does it mean to create a culture based on doing what is right?

Hire the right people

First, you have to hire, then nurture, mature individuals with the skills your company needs.  A Do Right culture relies on the premise that no one will abuse the environment – that takes maturity.

For example, in our office we use flex hours so that everyone can still tend to their real life issues without having to feel guilty about using company time to get them done.  Doctor’s appointments, parent teacher conferences, a tire change, or whatever employees need to be happy, should be accounted for first and foremost.  This also requires maturity on part of the management because you have to trust that someone is absent for the right reasons.

Most of the time folks can work from home or work odd hours to get their tasks completed.  The main points here are that work is done in a timely manner and external stress is reduced.    Trust is a happy two-way street as a result.

Finding and hiring the right type of mature person with the appropriate skills set is vital.

Allow folks to do their jobs

Next, managing has to be done in terms of being a resource to projects or as a judge on final decisions, as presented to them by the team.

Micro-managing is a leading killer of company culture in America.  If you don’t know what it means to micro-manage then you probably do it.

Part of the Do Right Rule means that you have to allow your team members to do their job.  It’s another sign of trust and understanding that empowers everyone within the company to have their level of satisfaction in the job they have every day.

By positioning the management team to only engage in top-level discussions or to help arrive at final decisions you create a truly productive environment that organically allows an employee’s day to go where it needs to go in order to do right by all accounts.

Don’t ever underestimate how damaging management can be when they weigh in on tactical or miniscule details of a day or project.   For one, if it is a small matter you’re basically communicating that the person doing the job isn’t cut out for the task.  Secondly, if management has a strong opinion on small matters then what does that say for the state of the company itself?

Believe it or not, it’s best for everyone involved if your management team manages the team and not the details of the team.

Doing right by your clients

Finally, for this blog, I feel one of the more important factors in developing the “Do Right” culture is how that relates to your clients.

We’ve already discussed two major factors: (1) Hiring mature, skilled professionals and (2) allowing them to do their jobs.  Relating these two simple factors to your clients is another process.

As it relates to your client base, the do right rule is the most basic expression of the concept.  At the client level, the Do Right Rule becomes the Golden Rule, by definition.

Golden Rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

At lee|stafford we use this rule to create an environment that says YES to our clients first but also advises when direction or strategy flies in the face of what we know, through years of experience in our industry, to be true.

Basically, we work very hard to accomplish what our clients set us to task on, to bill exactly what we estimate that we will bill and to finish on time with a high-level creative product.  That’s how we like to be treated so we treat our clients that way.

The lee|stafford cultural difference is that we bring our experience to bear on our client’s projects and we position ourselves as consultants to the task at hand.  We don’t use cookie-cutter solutions for client’s needs, we’re not all things to all people and sometimes we have to create solutions that don’t exist in order to deliver.

If a client just needs us to simply perform a task, we do that.  But if a client needs us to partner with them and treat their project like it’s our own – we do that too – it’s our culture.

At the of the day, it’s really hard to define exactly what a culture does.  There are accepted dictionary terms and other useful resources that can tell you what a culture is.

For us, culture is how we feel about our work environment, our fellow work mates, our leadership, our goals and plans and ultimately our client partners.  It is at its very root an emotional state of being.

That being the said, our cultural goal at lee|stafford is to provide a positive work environment where our skilled professionals are allowed, without limits, to help make our clients as successful and as happy as is possible.

And I’m proud that we can say that.