The word “culture” is often thrown around in the business world, but rarely is it ever properly defined. Simply put, culture is the personality and DNA of your company; it’s the glue that binds everyone together. After working in the produce industry for around 29 years now, I have found culture to be way high on my priority list. A company can have great products, margins, marketing programs, growth, compensation, benefits, and perks, but if their culture does not fit me, that may not be the right fit.
The same holds true for employers. You might find a candidate that has all the right stuff – the skills and the know-how to succeed in a position - but if you wouldn’t hang out with them outside of your organization, they may not be conducive to your overall goals.
So, whether you’re an employer or employee, here’s why you need to pay attention to your company’s culture.
For Employers:
If there’s one company culture advocate you need to hear from, it’s Tony Hsieh. The CEO of the Amazon-owned Zappos brand once said, “Our number one priority is company culture. Our whole belief is that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff like delivering great customer service or building a long-term enduring brand will just happen naturally on its own.”
The biggest obstacle, however, is identifying, developing, and managing a culture, all of which happens either through design or on its own. I believe that your internal culture translates to your external persona and ultimately to your brand identity, which shapes how your business is perceived by the consumer or the produce trade nationally.
As recruiters, here at Joe Produce Search, we spend a great amount of time learning about our client’s culture in addition to all their other attributes, objectives, and criteria for their searches. And then we do the same with the candidates that we interview. Once you get past the “check boxes” on matching the criteria for a position, you’re really left with finding the right fit between the people and the companies.
Success is a long, happy, and productive relationship between the people we place and their employers. A cultural match - some might call it chemistry - is an important aspect to that success.
For Candidates:
Cultures can and do change too. You could work for a company for 20 years and love their culture, and for a variety of reasons it can change. It may be time to move on. Your health and happiness may depend on it! 
