Twitter Inc. is still searching for a permanent CEO after the April resignation of Dick Costolo. According to experts in the industry, the company faces some unique challenges in its search.
With Twitter’s future uncertain until its new leader — and strategy — come into view, human resources experts say culture should be a vital factor in who takes the helm.
“If the person is a fit for the culture, then they can be their most authentic self at work and then their productivity sky rockets,” said Max Chopovksy, CEO of Chicago Creative Space.
Chicago Creative Space helps companies design culture and spaces for happier employees, higher productivity and successful results. Chopovksy shared his insights on the importance of company culture in Twitter’s new CEO search.
If Twitter is looking to put culture first, the new CEO should:
1. Be a visionary.
“It’s really tough to build a company culture. The most important aspect is at the beginning. You should look at why the company exists. What’s the purpose of it? Once you figure that out, hire people who are really passionate about that purpose. Look for people who want to change the world as much as the founder,” Chopovksy said.
2. Respond to feedback on that vision.
“Twitter is a profound platform where everybody can have a voice. Regular people can feel connected to their idols,” Chopovsky said. Twitter’s entire platform relies on giving users their own voice. According to Chopovsky, this is a vital part of the company culture that the new CEO should embrace and emulate.
3. Look at the right now and the future simultaneously.
“The CEO has to speak with confidence on short-term performance, and turn around and look at their employees and say here are my plans for the next three to five years,” Chopovksy said. With a company as large and influential as Twitter, Chopovsky maintains the new CEO must focus on short-term performance while also considering the long-term outcome.
4. Hire and play the best team possible.
“The most effective companies that really have a great culture don’t just put their values up on a wall and call it a day. They use those values in their hiring practices and if somebody has great experience but not the same values, then they don’t make the cut,” Chopovsky said. “The CEO is responsible for creating a cohesive and effective team. Field your best 11 players, not your 11 best players. They might not be the best individually, but together they work better.”
5. Make the culture stick.
“It’s challenging because culture is people, and people are personalities, and personalities are organic. The way to make it come together is if these people are united with common values and a common goal,” Chopovsky said. After developing a company culture, it’s just as important to make sure that culture will live on. As Twitter has already experienced, changes in leadership and turn over happen quickly. An ingrained company culture builds stability and consistency.
