The Secret to a 24/7 Culture

At an Open Forum panel for ZingTrain’s Art of Giving Great Service seminar, one of the questions that came up was, “The whole Zingerman’s culture. When you go home after work, how do you turn it off?”

Turn it… off? The panelists all blinked at each other. Is that even possible?

Great service, honest communication, servant leadership — these are things we wholeheartedly believe in as employees and as individuals. There isn’t anything we do or teach that is bad. By having work values that coincide with our personal values, we are able to live in integrity.

Expectations are high in this organization. By taking a job here, you make a commitment to provide great service to customers and coworkers, to forecast key numbers for the department, to learn finance, to develop a professional palate, to participate in decision-making for the business, to train other staff members, to devote time for personal growth, and a whole slew of other responsibilities in addition to, say, making a cup of coffee. This isn’t the right fit for everyone – and that’s alright. But for some people, this is exactly the kind of place they want to be.

It’s not perfect, no sirree. Sometimes we fall short of expectations or we don’t get along with everyone(!). We’re human. But at the end of the day, we respect each other, we have fun, and coming to work never feels like a chore.

Business leaders often say the most valuable resource a company has is its people. So hire people for the company you want. Build the culture and they will come.