Want to disrupt a micro-culture and speed up implementation? And, I do not mean only in product, but generally in a business environment of an established company.
Start hiring!
Start hiring people that geek out when it comes to their job. These people come mostly as suggestions by people that already work for you and embrace 100% your work culture and values. You don’t have clear values in your company? Oh my, sit your butt somewhere and do yourself a favor to write them down and communicate them to your team… now! Just a hint: these values should reflect your life values, and if you don’t have clear values on how to move in life, then write those down too. Don’t be surprised if those two sets of values are identical 😉
Pep talk!
Before you bring these new, amazing people on board make sure to pep talk them. Among the things you have in mind, make sure to let them know that they should question everything! They should question the ways things worked until now and encourage them to bring new things on the table. “Don’t enter the existing micro-culture, be helpful, collaborate with people but you are here to disrupt.”
That is why they are hired for. Tell them to focus on changing things and not on problems of the past. “We know we have problems and that we made mistakes, we don’t need you to remind us. We want you to solve them! Don’t waist your time on the past”. Tell them that you value their opinion, critical thinking and taking initiative. Question everything, pave the good paths and create new ones.
Set their mindset!
The mindset of a new hiring will determine her/his course inside your company. If you won’t pep talk her/him, she/he will most probably enter the team and get trained by someone already trapped in the micro-culture of that group (special attention to Support teams). We all need some words of wisdom and motivation! Don’t forget to pep talk yourself too… every single morning staring into the eyes of your reflection in the bathroom mirror… “New day, new opportunities: You are strong enough, go get them!”
Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash