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What do I mean by culture? I’m not sure I can define it, but I know it when I see it. For me, culture refers to an underlying set of values, beliefs, standards, priorities, and attitudes. When tallied, the sum of these parts becomes your unique culture. It permeates everything that you do and everyone you influence. In the end, your culture answers the question, “What really matters around here?”

The smaller the organization, the more the culture is reflective of the owner(s). Later in this chapter, we look at two companies who went from tiny start-ups to giant success stories and see how that affected their ability to keep their culture in-tact. In the early days, though, you can bet that the company’s personality will be much like that of its owner. If you project a personality that turns off customers, you can bet that your company culture will, too.

I have a client who is one of the nicest people you could ever meet when she is outside of her well-established, but stagnant, professional services firm. This niceness is almost to a fault in her personal relations: She apologizes for things that aren’t even remotely her fault. When I visit, she is overly concerned about my personal comfort. But in her business, she is the exact opposite. Maybe it’s because of insecurity, feelings of being overwhelmed, or just boredom, but what-ever causes there are come together at the office. It would be kind to say she is less than cordial to her employees. She never yells, but she never smiles either. She rarely says some-thing as simple as “please” or “thank you” to the people working for her. Commands are barked into an intercom system repeatedly throughout the day. She avoids face-to-face contact at all costs. Here’s this really nice woman who, for whatever reason, turns grumpy and gruff when she gets to work. She is obviously capable of being pleasant, but she isn’t. As a result, she has a company that reflects how she behaves.

Her excuse is that she is just being expedient and efficient, but it comes across as being short and demanding. So that culture then becomes engrained, and the employees do the same things to their vendors, customers, and even potential new hires. Customers misinterpret their stoicism as indifference. Partners misinterpret their concentration on the task at hand for lack of empathy. Potential all-stars are often put off by the tone of the interview process. A friendly woman with an unfriendly company is a real shame. Despite my repeated advice, this undesirable culture is so ingrained, I see little chance of them ever achieving sustained growth.