We developed this no-fluff guide to keep you on track, emphasizing the most important and practical action steps at each stage. This is not a prescription, rather a framework. Every organization has a unique personality, and this guide will help you cultivate yours. The content in this guidebook is a synthesis of curated ideas from thought leaders, discussions with subject matter experts, and our own experiences. In this guide, we incorporate advice from some of the best and we are more concerned with usefulness than originality.
Until you are ready to establish and stick to a system, don’t bother reading on. Building strong org health requires constant tending. It means carving out recurring time, engineering and refining processes, investing in relationships over the long haul and generally giving a shit about people matters. It cannot be set-and-forgotten, faked, delegated or outsourced. Committing to a process is step one.
Vocap Org Health "Cheat Sheet" | |||||
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Pillar 1 | <5 People | 5-15 People | 15-50 People | 50-100+ People | |
Clarify Purpose & Direction | Objective | Be crystal clear on why you exist (mission), where you are going (vision), and your core beliefs (values) | |||
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Pillar 2 | <5 People | 5-15 People | 15-50 People | 50-100+ People | |
Develop Transformational Leadership | Objective | Develop a team of inspirational leaders that operates in environment of trust and transparency with complete conviction on MVV | |||
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Pillar 3 | <5 People | 5-15 People | 15-50 People | 50-100+ People | |
Empower & Challenge your People | Objective | Create a culture of empowerment, accountabilty, and opportunity | |||
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You might have noticed there is no culture section in this guidebook. In our view, culture is an output of the whole system. Like fulfillment itself, great culture will elude you if you chase it as a standalone concept. Instead, it is far more effective to focus on the inputs which we’ve outlined in this guide.
If organizational health is chemistry, culture is alchemy. The former is more scientific (test and iterate), the latter is more spiritual. They are overlapping but separate concepts.
Everyone has a different idea of what constitutes culture. Given the varying views around this topic, it’s perhaps just as important to call out what is not effective culture as much as what is. The following is a synthesis of our firsthand and adopted lessons:
Subcultures will form naturally, especially as your organization becomes larger. Engineers are a different breed than salespeople. This is not a bad thing. The personality traits that help them succeed in their respective roles is different. An effective culture code allows for stylistic differences while maintaining the through lines.