January Roundup: Cultivating Company Culture

Let’s get honest: It’s too easy to get caught up in work. 

There is always a task to complete, a client to call, or a final touch to add.  Humans are wired to feel some sense of accomplishment in life — whether through work, parenting, community involvement, or otherwise. 

And as much as we would like to spend our days buckled down, checking tasks off the list, and collecting dollar bills, it’s important to leave room for down time and to foster culture within work environments.

This past month, our team partook in Sioux Falls’ 7th Annual Downtown Burger Battle at Wileys to do just that.

We’ll get to our analysis of the burger (don’t worry), but first a few notes on what it means to develop a positive, inspiring, and productive culture in the workplace.

What do people mean by “company culture,” anyway?

I like to think of it as the spirit of our people. It’s the intangible glue that holds a company together. It’s how we interact within our work environment. It’s about development, influence, growth, leadership, engagement, and diversity.

As an agency, we are always cultivating our company culture. Day-to-day details of social interactions, communication styles, and team projects all form the big picture of a company’s culture.

The funny thing about “cultivating culture,” though, is that it can’t be forced. Constant dejection in the workplace can’t be cured by hosting a Happy Hour twice a year.

Patrick Lencioni wrote a book called, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.” In his view, the foundation for a dysfunctional team is the absence of trust. A constructive culture is built on trust, and lasting trust is earned over time.

Not over Happy Hour.

The South Dakotan: Wiley’s entry in the 7th Annual Downtown Burger Battle.

But back to our Burger Battle outing.

Every month, our team sets aside time to engage outside the office — whether through collaborating at a coffee shop or checking out a local event.

This month, we walked across the street to Wileys to try their Burger Battle entry — the South Dakotan.

The ingredients: a half-pound patty of black angus beef, thick slab (like, extremely thick) of smoked maple bourbon bacon, bacon jam, and cheese curds.

We skipped dessert for this meal, that’s for sure!

It was agreed that the cheese curds were probably unnecessary given its general heaviness. Overall, an enjoyable burger, and likely one that could be split three ways and still satiate all parties.

More importantly, it provided another opportunity to make a deposit in the culture bank.