Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture

Chapter 8. Soup = Culture

As much as Nancy wanted to continue talking with Grandma and Peter, she was glad to be back in her office. She had lots of work to do and decisions to make, but before diving in, she sat down and looked at the paper Peter had given her. Written at the top of the paper was "Soup = Culture." Peter shared one of the key reasons for their success: The culture of Grandma's Soup House was a direct reflection of Grandma and her principles and values. He had then written the following:

1. Soup = Culture Just as soup is a direct reflection of the soup maker, so is the business culture a direct reflection of the leader. The soup and the culture at Grandma's were one and the same, and both were a reflection of who stirs the pot, as well as the values, principles, and ingredients the stirrer mixed into it.

2. Culture drives behavior, and behavior drives habits Culture influences what your leaders and teams think, say, and do each day. A lot of organizations focus on strategy and ignore culture, yet culture trumps strategy every time.

3. Soft is powerful Many leaders think of culture creation as a warm-and-fuzzy, feel-good, soft project that isn't urgent because you can't quantify it with hard numbers. However, the most successful organizations know that although culture seems soft, it is really powerful and essential.

4. You must nurture your culture Too many organizations aren't willing to invest the time and energy needed to create the culture they desire. They talk about culture, ...