Lindas Story

Stewart faced adversity working in traditional corporate jobs and learned what type of work did not suit her. She spent most of her career working on a variety of jobs for Fidelity. By working with and building various businesses for them, she became knowledgeable about startups and explored the important role of culture for success. She eventually wanted to go off on our own and build a business for herself instead of Fidelity.

Stewart reflected upon what she learned throughout her career to determine what she wanted to do next. She realized the most important lessons of her experience were the value of culture and the value of creating dynamic in highly functioning work places. Stewart sought an opportunity lead a business focused on culture where she could do great work for fun and interesting people. Stewart recognized that culture is going to happen no matter what, so it is important to shape it in a way that reflects how the business works.

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How to Shape Culture

One of the first things that will shape culture is meeting design. A large portion of the day is spent in meetings, so it is essential to set clear expectations based on an agenda and desired outcomes.

The path to results should be a determining factor of success, rather than solely focusing on the results themselves. Stewart emphasized processes and relationships as keys to success. While entrepreneurs may prioritize the freedom of ideas, it is important to implement processes or a foundation for how the business is going to run on a day-to-day basis. Stewart described relationships as critical to ensure trust and collaboration amongst the team, which improves efficiency.

Clear decision-making is vital for people to understand how and why choices are made. The more people that are involved and engaged with decisions, the more likely they are to be invested in helping the organization succeed.