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that can cost you millions of dollars. And that’s a scary thing that some people just can’t get their mind wrapped around. And so having
those things in place and having them understand how to make those decisions is hugely important.”

Brian agrees that hiring and onboarding are critical to instilling the right behaviors.

A new hire may have a perfect resume, but you also must consider the pre-existing behaviors that they have picked up earlier in their
career.

Sometimes in addition to teaching the behaviors you want to see, you may have to help people un-learn previous behaviors.

“I compare employees coming through the door to an arrow mid-flight. They’ve already been launched from other things, and you didn’t
have anything to do with that. They came in that way. They were on a course that was already established long before they got there.
But what I suggest is just a gust of wind can change the direction of an arrow mid-flight,” said Brian.
“If you set that tone hard day one, what happens beyond that point is they actually toe the line much harder than if you just let them be
who they were when they walked in.”

The right training can help mold behavior, which in term shapes your company culture for the better.

Why culture and safety are a long game
Part of the reason why a good company culture is so difficult to focus on and attain is because it takes time to see the results of your
effort. It’s also a never-ending process.

“I think the reason accompanies don’t focus on it as much is because this is a long game. Culture is not six months. It’s not a year. It’s
years. And you’re never really there. Culture is somewhat aspirational,” said Mike. “A lot of the people that run companies now, they’re so
short-term focused that they just forget about it and they don’t pay any attention to it. It drives me nuts actually. But it’s a long game.
I’m such a firm believer in that as a strategic advantage.”

No matter what size your company is, that investment is worthwhile.

“It doesn’t matter the size of the company,” Brian said. “You have those pre-established behaviors that are coming through your door.
And if you’re not doing something formal about ensuring that it is changed or embraced the way it is, then you’re really just leaving it up
to chance.”
While culture is always important, there’s no doubt that it becomes even more vital the bigger your company is. At The Weitz Company’s
height, Mike said that they had about 600 employees.

“That’s where I learned that culture’s so important. And I don’t know if it eats strategy for breakfast, but you can’t do anything without,
it that much I know. You have to work on it. You can’t just not talk about it,” he said.

At that scale, it’s often helpful to create a formalize culture roadmap that verbalizes where you want your culture to go.

If you’re lucky enough to already have a great culture, then the process becomes about upkeep more than creating from scratch.

“Weitz had a great culture anyway, so we weren’t really changing it. We were just improving it and making it what we wanted it to be,
because we had to work there. So we want to create the place we want to work,” said Mike.

Culture and safety may start at the top, but it’s a team effort through and through.

“I think it’s really important to make sure that you’re listening to what we would call the little guy. Nobody’s saying that the best ideas
are coming from the top,” said Brian.

“There’s nothing anywhere saying that the best ideas are coming from people with fancy letters after their name or pieces of paper
framed on the wall. Some of the best ideas that I’ve come across that really stopped me in my tracks that really made me pause came
from just your ground level employee. And you have to find a formal way to recognize that and give them a voice.”

When every employee is working from the same instruction manual when it comes to culture, you’ll have a healthy foundation for
safety, happiness, and growth.

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