Developing Company Culture: The Red Sycamore Experience

Company culture is the foundation of any business, since it is the basis of internal and external relationships.  Company culture and branding are very much the same thing, but from opposite perspectives.  Company culture can be likened to the personality and values of the organisation.  What others see is how the company is branded. 

Company culture may develop spontaneously, from the aggregated actions of those associated with the company, and the exhibition of their values.  That is almost never good, since it is akin to letting a garden grow without supervision.  With all the flowers that grow, there will also be a lot of weeds, and with those weeds come pests, and perhaps a snake in the grass.  Company culture must be developed, cultivated, steered in the right direction. 

Startups have a unique opportunity to develop company culture from the ground up without the acculturated and aggregated mess that is existing company culture, and all the mistakes that have crept in.  It is easier to create a new company culture than it is to reform an existing one.  The nascent company culture can then be extended to the recruitment and hiring process so that values can be nurtured and reinforced.  This is crucial. 

The nature of this company culture should be aligned with the nature of the business it is in.  This is directly tied to the branding, and market positioning.  For example, Red Sycamore is a startup dealing in disruptive technologies.  That makes it necessary that the company culture is one of secrecy, calculated risk taking, and guerrilla fundraising.  On one hand, we need to be collaborative with our major partners, the entities that hold the patents, and the various joint-ventures in various states of exit.  On the other hand, information needs to be segregated because we are going up against major competitors with deep funding. 

Company culture is the means to empower staff to create exceptional experiences with internal and external customers.  There has to be a sense of pride in who we are, and how we carry ourselves, and that means we have to be proud of what we represent.  This is a loop that feeds on itself.  This extends beyond procedures and protocols, and into how we think in any situation.  When there is a sense of destiny and a clear direction, there is no need for absolute control – which is impossible anyway.  People have a general idea of what needs to be done, and how to do it.  Because they believe in the company and the project, they are motivated to take it that extra step. 

Company culture is something that is tested during periods of pressure.  For example, in the earlier days of Red Sycamore, and its parent entity, Equinox GEMTZ, there were periods of intense pressure, where deadlines were missed, where investors did not come through, where negotiations broke down.  What is important is that the team, from the top management downwards, did not lose faith in the mission, and created a sense of destiny.  This is done by ensuring that the team had the right values first, before building up capabilities.  This was done by relentless drilling every time we failed, going over what went wrong, and focusing on fixing it, and doing it again.  Raising hundreds of millions in months for specific projects is not work for the faint-hearted.  It begins with strong leadership, clear lines of communication, and constant strategising. 

That being said, this does not mean every single value has the same importance at different junctures.  Much of our work is based on connecting with people, policy makers, investors, strategic partners.  That requires empathy, warmth, sincerity.  On the other hand, negotiating the best deal requires cold calculation, logic, and non-attachment.  This is addressed by having different people in these teams focusing on specific approaches so that we can all succeed together. 

As the company grows, layers of hierarchy, and the bureaucracy of management is added.  The structure becomes complex.  To keep that complexity to a minimum, people need to be empowered at every level so that they can make independent decisions quickly, that serve the whole.  That requires values, and this means they must be deeply imbibed in that company culture.  We cannot have one level or one team working at variance with the others.  The company must never forget its roots, no matter how big or how successful it grow.  Without strong roots, there cannot be sustainable growth.  On the other hand, sometimes problems begin at the roots, and that can poison the rest of the tree, sapping morale, increasing risky behaviour, and affecting branding.  We must never forget we are gardeners, and the health of the tree matters if we want to harvest good fruits. 

As Red Sycamore grows, we have put in place a template for sustainable company culture.  It is within our interest to ensure we never forget we began with a small seed.  To that end, every person, every staff, every strategic partner matters, in that endeavour.