To me, a company is like a seed. If you put the right soil, nutrients, light, and continually water it, it will grow. One of these ingredients is culture, of which willingness to learn, adapt, and grow is the most important aspect. As individuals grow, and small teams along with them, the entire company grows and is more likely to succeed. Of this culture though, what are the nutrients that will help grow a company?
First among these values is honesty. Those who you hire must be able to accept constructive criticism and dish it out respectfully to others. Honest and constructive criticism, when listened to, is key to growing as an individual.
Second comes a collaborative spirit. In order to grow as a company, there needs to be collaboration, between individuals, teams, and departments. This collaborative spirit and team culture will allow for better intergroup communication and eventual growth of the entire company, reinforcing the culture of adaptability.
Finally, there needs to be passion for the work and the company mission. Without passion and drive, there’s no reason to grow, no reason to succeed. Without this passion at the individual level, the company has no way to grow because there is sparse drive to accomplish the mission.
When creating a culture of growth, these things are best found from the genesis of a prospective hiree’s journey with the company, and so in order to keep these core values in perpetuity, it's important to hire people who at the very least show a willingness to learn, to listen to criticism, ability to work in a team, and interest in the product or field the company is entering into.
