Use Catchphrases to Build Org Culture

Successful companies coin their own catchphrases which catch the attention of the entire organisation over time - helping align people towards important goals, values and behaviours, eg. "It's always Day 1" from Amazon.

These may sound obvious or even corny. Many of us may instinctively dismiss them as cult-like jargon or laugh them off. But that will be a mistake. Their cheesy obviousness is not a bug - it's a feature! Their clarity, grating to the outsider's ear, is precisely what makes them popular and impactful internally.

In due time, the entire organisation starts responding to these catchphrases. They become a part of popular vocabulary and you can notice people using them unprompted. As a leader, you could have tried to convey the same message in plain language - but catchphrases accentuate the impact of the message and give it a cool packaging, which others start using to pass on the same message. You would have noticed good orators create slogans - catchphrases are a similar tool for you to rally people.

In the book Culture Code, Daniel Coyle writes extensively on how most of the successful cultures leverage catchphrases to align the team towards a common agenda.

Examples of catchphrases

• "Create fun and a little weirdness": Zappos

• "Talk less, do more": IDEO

• "Create raves for guests": Shake Shack

• "B level work is bad for your soul": Pixar

• "5/4 customer experience": CultFit

• "Leave the jersey in a better place": New Zealand All-Blacks

Tips to build effective catchphrases

• Start by clearly defining the message you want to drive home

• Keep the catchphrase simple, short, action-oriented, and forthright

• Try to use hard-hitting words

• They aren't gentle suggestions, but clear reminders or nudges in the direction the group wants to go

• Repeat them consistently, over multiple days, on every relevant occasion you find. Then notice which ones catch on with others in the org

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If this note made you believe in the power of catchphrases to drive action and alignment, but you are not sure how to go about it now, feel free to reach out to us or check out our services. We will be happy to discuss and help you use catchphrases to build org culture.