Gun to your head, you have to get a tattoo – What do you get it of? Although I’m deathly afraid of needles, in a life or death situation, I’d likely tattoo “JASM” for my family or the Arabic symbol of my favorite religious saying. One thing I wouldn’t get it of, however, is my company logo. Sorry, dad, you have my commitment but not my blood.
Mike Salguero, the co-founder and CEO of Boston startup CustomMade, is redefining commitment with a tattoo of the company’s logo to show his dedication (No pressure Seth Rosen).
Although he doesn’t pressure the other employees to follow suit, Mike is a strong believer that company culture is the essential component of the ownership mentality.
Here are six strategies to cultivate a meaningful startup culture. And if they don’t work, here’s a local tattoo shop finder.
- Just like you wouldn’t write down the way it feels when you exercise or play with your dog, you can’t ‘write down your culture’- It’s a feeling, live it.
- Identify the most successful people in your company and categorize their strongest traits on sticky notes.
- Screen potential hires based on the stickies their personality fulfills – If the shoe doesn’t fit now, it won’t later. (Put the size 5 Chanel shoes down!)
- Ensure that your current employees understand how the ways they’re impacting the company; Celebrate their achievements.
- When you transmit the mark of leadership to every team member, you afford them the opportunity to make working at your startup the most meaningful part of their career
- Don’t neglect your employees dedication – A startup is like a family, commit yourself to genuinely caring about each team member.