You're aiming to shift your company's culture. How can you rally external partners behind the new direction?

External partners are absolutely critical. Transformation starts with the "why". Your customers, stakeholders, and channel partners are best positioned to help you evangelize and sometimes even evangelize on your behalf. Similarly, leaning on your external stakeholders in this way broadens the tent and gives them ownership over your mission and culture. This, in turn, makes them more motivated to work with you, more willing to give you the benefit of the doubt when something goes wrong, and more likely to proactively talk about you when you're not in the room. Do this well, and it's a superpower.

Engage external partners in your cultural transformation by viewing them as co-creators of your new culture rather than just supporters of it. Instead of simply sharing your vision, invite them to actively shape it with you. This approach shifts the dynamic from a top-down directive to a collaborative, mutually beneficial relationship. Consider creating shared cultural artifacts or rituals that embody the new values you’re aiming to instill. These could be joint initiatives, collaborative projects, or even shared language and symbols that reflect the new culture. By embedding these elements into your partnerships, you create a sense of shared identity that transcends organizational boundaries.

Consider aligning interests by framing the cultural change as an opportunity for "mutual evolution." Rather than just highlighting benefits, co-create a vision of how both parties can grow and transform together. Invite your external partners to explore and define how the cultural shift can open new avenues for their own growth and innovation. Engage in discussions about their long-term goals and challenges, and identify areas where your new culture can align with and enhance their strategic objectives. Collaborate on creating a shared roadmap that integrates elements of your cultural change with their aspirations, emphasizing how this partnership can evolve to address emerging industry trends or shifts in market demand.

Consider building community not by creating formal networks, but by cultivating a "culture of serendipity." Instead of structured forums or networks, focus on designing environments where spontaneous connections and collaborations can naturally occur. This could involve creating casual, unplanned meeting spaces—both physical and virtual—where partners, employees, and stakeholders can interact informally. By fostering these serendipitous encounters, you create a community that thrives on curiosity, openness, and the unexpected. This approach not only builds a stronger sense of belonging but also sparks creativity and innovation, as diverse perspectives come together in unplanned ways.