Magic can spark when leadership publishes values congruent with the informal company culture. Like when Prince Charming, in his pursuit of true love, tries the glass slipper on Cinderella, and it’s a perfect fit. Although this is a fairy tale with magic, Cinderella and Charming instill the values of goodness and kindness as they lived “happily ever after.”
It is fascinating that a team culture is born out of the shared beliefs and values of the very individuals that fall under its influence. Almost paradoxically, the creation governs the creators. Said another way, the values driving culture motivate, nourish, and even moderate its own creators, the individuals within the organization.
“When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” Business leaders today thinking about corporate values and culture can learn a lot from this ancient Kenyan proverb. A leader may wonder, what happens if the company values printed on mousepads or etched in glass in the lobby don’t reflect how people really feel and behave? Even though these proclaimed values may have been drawn up by well-intentioned people—founders, the board, HR, the exco—what happens if they’re inconsistent with the unspoken or organic values that really drive organizational culture? The grass dies.
