Whether your team has transitioned to a fully remote office or a hybrid mixture of remote and in person, all of us are navigating how to maintain organizational culture in these continuously changing times.
As a brand strategy firm serving nonprofits that was founded 20 years ago with a commitment to successful remote work culture, we know a thing or two about how to do this well for the good of all.
Brand is just another word for reputation, and as a branding firm, we work with nonprofits to build and strengthen their reputation by looking at all sides of their organization: leadership, outside perception, and culture. Your organization’s brand is not just the words you say and the visuals you create, but in the way you act. Company culture is part of that.
How can you activate your values as a part of organizational culture? We’ll use our own values as an example. Below are our six of our values and examples of how our company culture correspond with each:
Foster Optimism
We choose to find optimism, hope, and encouragement even when challenges arise. Here at Mission Minded, we live this value out every day with our #amplifythegood Slack channel, where team members post project celebrations and shoutouts for teammates. This not only spotlights those involved, it also inspires others in the company to share in that optimism.
Champion Each Other
Mission Minded team members are committed to admiring, trusting, and supporting each other. We incorporate this as a part of weekly staff meetings, reviewing our project list through the lens of sharing only celebrations, challenges, or learnings. This gives our team members a platform to further support each other on project work, whether giving a shoutout to a colleague or helping them navigate a strategic or creative challenge.
Live Fully
We take time to log off, unplug, and embrace the other aspects of our lives because we know a healthy life balance enables us to deliver our best – or living fully. Whether it be a trip far from home or an afternoon catching up at home, Mission Minded team members have the space to recharge outside of work, helping us bring our best at work. We share some of these adventures together in our #whereareyou Slack channel, where team members post photos from their client-related or personal travels.
Improve, Always
We inspire each other to push outside our comfort zones in pursuit of greater understanding, supporting each other in achieving professional and personal growth every day. As a company, we do this – even remotely! Our monthly strategist calls bring our entire strategy team together to discuss timely brand insights and trends as well as ongoing process improvements. This enables us to collaboratively discuss and provide feedback on the way we do our work, enabling us to Improve, Always.
Stay Curious
This is a value we live out both remotely and in person. Team members share how they are staying curious, creative, and strategic outside of project work as a part of our Curiosity Questions, a weekly Zoom call. Each week starts with a question or prompt; team members answer the question with words, photos, or even videos. During the call, we review answers together to share in curiosity, learning lots about each other along the way.
As a national company we make an effort for our team members to Stay Curious in-person as well! Quarterly group trips to curious spots such as museums, pottery classes, or parks help our team to connect with each other in a creative, inspiring setting — out of the office.
View this post on Instagram
Invite Perspectives
We seek diverse perspectives, appreciating that these make us more empathetic and stronger as a team. This is foundational to our commitment to antiracism and equity. Our team gathers via Zoom monthly for our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Reading Club, encouraging discussion among team members on a different topic or pre-reading that relates to equity and inclusion.
Does your organization want to refine its values? Learn how brand strategy can help!
Related Content
