The Secret to Salesforce’s Winning Culture
In 1999, Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, and Frank Dominguez founded salesforce.com, a cloud computing company that has grown into one of the most highly valued American companies in its market. From the very beginning, they specialized in delivering “software as a service” and Benioff, as chairman and CEO, has been committed to creating an open, transparent culture.
Salesforce has consistently shown up over the last few years with a Top 25 ranking on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies To Work For list. (It took the top spot in 2018.) Although known for a high-pressure and fast-paced environment that isn’t suitable for everyone, they are clear on what works for them. Walking through their office in Chicago, I could feel the focus that fuels them. They have been celebrated for many elements of their culture. For example, their integrated philanthropy model allows each employee to have six paid days off each year to volunteer for a cause they care about.
From the beginning, Benioff wanted to align his people around common goals. He began by writing what he called his V2MOM, a method that refers to the Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles and Measures he set for the company. He knew he needed to have language for the company so that he could align other people around it. But, it couldn’t stop there. To this day, every employee has their own V2MOM for their work that rolls up to the CEO’s V2MOM, creating a framework for aligning their work and their vision.
The entity needed to not only bring people together in spirit and vibration, but also align human beings with structure for their work together.
So, what are the common goals you and your team are working toward? Are you aligned?
Jason Barger is the globally celebrated author of Step Back from the Baggage Claim, ReMember, and the newly released book Thermostat Cultures, as well as a coveted keynote speaker and leadership consultant. More importantly, he’s striving to be an above average father, husband, and friend.
Follow on Twitter @JasonVBarger and learn more at JasonVBarger.com
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