A good one doesn’t always follow 'the rules,' either.
By Gabe Krajicek
At Kasasa (formerly BancVue), we have a pretty employee-centric office. There’s a big snack bar, stocked fridge, pool table, foosball, massage chair, video games and no real dress code. Sometimes people visiting will see this and say, “Man, it looks like you guys have a great culture.” When I hear that, I always have to suppress giving that person a lecture about what culture really is. None of that stuff has anything to do with real culture! The idea of “corporate culture” has been mixed with the notion of “employee perks.” They are in no way synonyms. Perks are awesome ways to attract, retain, and reward employees. You can have all the company-funded lunches, parties, and fun breakroom toys you want and still not have a real, effective culture. Conversely, you can be so budget-strapped that your employees have to bring their own coffee to work and still have a powerful culture that drives your business. So what exactly is culture and why is it useful? Culture governs the way your employees will handle millions of critical human interactions. Once deeply embedded in the organization, culture becomes like a conscience that tells employees which way to go when the rules don’t suggest a clear path. By having a strong culture in place, your employees will know intuitively what the right response is without having to look it up in the employee manual. We’ve all felt what it’s like when you are a customer of a company with a great culture. I was flying home from a conference in Hawaii a few years back. My flight was delayed … then canceled. Finally, after about 20 hours of waiting and traveling, I made it to Los Angeles about three o’clock in the morning. There was no way I could get home on my original airline, but then I saw that Southwest’s ticketing station was still open and, with nothing but hope, I walked over. Bending some rules, the Southwest employee told me to run (literally, run!) to one of their gates and they’d make sure I got back to Austin on the next flight headed out. How grateful do you think I was? I already liked Southwest a lot, but that night, because they bent the rules to get me home, I became a raving fan. In this example, Southwest’s culture informed the ticket agent’s decision-making in order to delight me by finding me a flight home. Conversely, we all know what it feels like when someone says, “Sorry, those are the rules,” and you’re thinking, “Yeah, but your rules are dumb in this case.” A strong culture can help your employees navigate this type of situation while still adhering to the important components of your policies and procedures.
Gabe Krajicek is CEO of Kasasa, Austin, Texas, an award-winning financial technology and marketing services company that provides branded retail banking products and services to community financial institutions. Offered in partnership with CUES and MNA Consulting, Inc., Atlanta, ServiStar Member Experience Builder is a personalized, comprehensive program that delivers a suite of training and development resources designed to deepen member relationships and build loyalty at every level.
