Our recipe for a solid company culture
Everybody—from interns to seasoned experts to clients—seems to agree on at least one element when talking about the things that make Plant a Flag special: our company culture. It's certainly like nothing I have experienced at other organizations, or in a professional context as a whole.
This is due to our belief that a great organizational culture and great team performance go hand in hand, and the fact that we've developed a dedicated focus on why and how we do the things we do.
A value-driven culture
From the day I joined Plant a Flag, it was obvious that company culture was a goal in and of itself. I do have to admit that in those early days our ‘culture’ was nothing more than a few of shared ideas that were supported by our small team of four people. Nevertheless, the four of us agreed that these conceptual ideas were as important to Plant a Flag as KPIs like revenue and profitability. Over time these ideas transformed into the following values:
Think global, act local
The world changes at a rapid pace, but we keep track of things. We look out for international marketing trends and translate these into successful strategies and techniques for your local organization.
Long term planning
We love long-term relationships. Our strategic advisers always think ahead and are eager to walk those extra miles for you. Expect transparency right up to the top.
Sharing is caring
We like to inspire our clients. That’s why we love sharing our organization tools, our customer-centred approach and our brand-new way of working. Let's learn from each other.
A way of life
As entrepreneurs we share the same value: engagement is a way of life. Talent is key in our well-crafted team. Innovation is our driving force.
Love your audience
Your audience is becoming increasingly empowered. But do you really listen? We invite your community to the table as full-fledged interlocutors.
The next step
Of course, simply having a couple of values you find important doesn’t cut it. The next step is getting all your stakeholders hooked. To accomplish this we apply our core values to just about everything we do as a company. We walk the talk. No matter which stakeholder we’re talking to, no matter what channel we’re using, we try to do so with these principles in mind. They keep us on our toes and are a daily reminder that what we believe matters most. This is the only way to slowly integrate these values into your culture as a company or organization.
Obviously, this also means we need to practice what we preach not only to the outside world but internally as well. We do so by giving our colleagues ownership of their careers here at Plant a Flag, by giving them the option to plan their own work schedules, the opportunity to work remotely, and by creating an environment where everyone’s voice is heard. We’re also adapting our organizational structure to further cultivate that sense of ownership. One example of this is that we have a no-delegation rule, which means that everyone is free to work on projects that make sense to them. All of this leads to a shared mentality of getting things done in our Studio and a shared responsibility of delivering the best possible work for our clients.
Main benefits
We strive to make Plant a Flag a magnet for anyone who wants to make an impact, and who wants to grow and explore. Putting our core values into writing makes it easier to communicate our company culture to the outside world, and attract new talent. It also helps our co-workers talk about Plant a Flag. When they do so, they start to radiate a sense of pride and truly become ambassadors, which gives us an enormous boost in employer branding. This ambassadorship in turn allows other people to become inspired by Plant a Flag, which does wonders for our recruitment and leads to more spontaneous applications.
In our sales, on the other hand, we notice that clients are more eager to join our culture instead of choosing the individual that they happen to have the sales talk with. Frankly, it feels good knowing that we can help SMEs and social profit organizations based on a value-driven approach.
Develop YOUR company culture!
A good company culture is essential to every organization. It plays a major role in making your marketing approach future-proof. Creating and conveying an inspiring environment isn’t something you do overnight, but if your aim is to become a great place to work and grow, I can assure you it’s worth every effort.