It’s not one of the “biggies” from the winter months, but if you ask any kid, Halloween would certainly rank up there on the Favorite Holiday List. But what is it about Halloween that’s so captivating for children and adults alike? And how does it relate to creating a “spirited” company culture?
Is it the candy? Sure, kids love Halloween for candy, but when you get older, candy becomes more plight than it is pleasure. As adults, we’d rather send Skittles to our troops as a token of gratitude rather than eat them ourselves.
Is it the costumes? Certainly that’s part of it. Like an adult trip to Disney World, there’s magic in nostalgia. There’s joy in becoming someone new for the night, to put on a costume in both the literal and figurative sense of it. Theres’s fun in it.
Is it the idea of Halloween? Yellow and orange leaves falling. Pumpkins illuminated with different emotions. Tombstones in the yard and ghosts hanging from the trees. Of course, all of these things contribute to the greater spirit of the holiday, and when they’re combined together, what we’re left with is the culture of Halloween.
Like anything else in the world, when you take things at their individual level that have an intrinsic value, a face value, they are what they are. But when you combine them, when you add additional players or context, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By definition, this is synergy.
The most common use of the word synergy is in business. It’s used by companies to denote the areas where varying departments or thoughts or processes come together to form something greater. And though these things aren’t always thought of as “company culture,” by nature, synergies ARE company culture because they’re the places where companies becomes something greater than their individual parts, or departments.
It’s no different with Halloween. Or with content. Or with the hiring process. Everything together becomes part of the overall culture. It is part of the context. It’s part of what makes your company your company.
So the question then becomes, how can you cultivate company culture? How can you make it known to everyone inside and outside the organization so the company’s impact is a positive one? How do you define company culture?
The answer lies within the question. You have to define that culture. Create it. Make sure it’s grounded in the overall Purpose and Values of the organization.
If you’re not sure whether your company culture exists by accident or on purpose, or if your answer is “somewhere in between,” it’s time to look at why.
Company culture begins with the top 10 red flags and green flags that say either “our culture needs attention” or “we’re AWAKE and on our way with who we are as a company.”
Review those key company culture indicators today.
