What is culture? The best definition I like is that an organization culture is what happens when the founder or leader is not there.
I genuinely believe that the significant reason Why Tekton survived all the challenges we faced was because of the team we were able to have, and all this was thanks to our culture; we have a lot and some very critical issues along the way. In this article I will explain examples of culture, you will be able to decide do you like.
I know a lot of companies and startups that try to force their “organization culture,” but the reality is that you can’t force culture; Also, Culture defines how we interact with clients, employees, and the company’s vision. Culture can’t be fake, so my first recommendation is that you decide what values and culture you want for your company from day one.
Culture Examples
Education System in Latam Culture
The culture in most universities and school all over the world but specifically in Latam are based on a fixed mindset (dont make mistakes, failure is terrible, among others), so when I was in school in Peru, I asked one of my professors how I can sell software in the US, and their answer was that was impossible, this was not the answer of one professor, this the response of most of them and this define the type of culture that they had, thanks to them I realize that I never want to be like them, in technology, in particular, failure and mistakes are part of the journey, and you want people to align to that not scared of making mistakes because they will get a memo.
You can’t make good wine with bad grapes.
Tekton Culture
I was in my second year of the university when I decided to create Tekton. Still, from day one, I realized first that I would serve the US market (which is bigger, pays faster, has better rates, and has a different mindset). I had no idea how to do it; I only knew that I was going to make it happen, you need crazy people to join you, especially if you are only in your early 20’s trying to do that with any investment, so I was able to recruit. Together we co-create Tekton culture with my team having the following aspects:
- Failure is part of the journey; my slogan was: Fail, fail again, fail better.
- Anything is possible; have a growth mindset mentality
- We are like Water. We adapt to everything because the only constant is that everything changes.
- The world is flat. I dont care where you came from… I care where you want to go.
- We are an elite force; where everyone else fails, we succeed.
- Everyone is a Master and an apprentice in learning
The culture will evolve over the time and maturity of the company, but the core will be the same; one of the better tests for the culture of a startup or company is a crisis like Covid19; that’s where realize that culture is not an office or a coworking space with pool tables and beer.
Also, a crucial part of organization culture is the recruiting process; you need to see this process as a sales funnel, and the objective is to maximize conversion (meaning good candidates).
As I always mentioned, you can’t make good wine with sour grapes. I hope it helps!
