JOANNA CAREW

Creating a new company means your starting point is zero brand or culture … so you create them! This is pretty simple as the founders; you work out your values and goals, then align the company’s brand to them. However, as you expand, how do you keep the brand on-track and not end up forfeiting your ideals?

This is a challenge I have been working on over the past few years, and it isn’t easy.

Recruitment 🤝

Finding the right people is a pretty obvious way to keep on-brand: quirky, like-minded souls who understand your vision and have similar standards. Notwithstanding, it isn’t always easy to find people who will fit into your brand, and during our first 18 months I messed up on multiple occasions.

My gut instinct told me candidates weren’t quite right, but there was a scarcity of decent applicants, so I overruled my instincts and offered the positions. I did this across all roles, several times, and without fail every appointment ended in disaster causing upset and disruption for everybody involved as they left or were dismissed.

So, now I have learnt many lessons, including:

• Defining our culture, being explicit about our standards, and staying true to who we are.

• Being brutal with the selection process. We often recruit through word of mouth, or if we go externally we require video applications. We’ll only select outstanding candidates for interview, and assess on both ability and personality. Finally, we stage informal interactions between candidates and our existing team, collating their ‘gut’ reactions to ensure everybody feels the vibe of the potential newbie is a cultural fit.

• Utilising the probationary period to the full. In addition to weekly 1-2-1s, we have monthly probation meetings with 360 feedback to create an open dialogue between the new staff member and management as we get to know each other and discover if we’re a fit.

Systems ⚙️

Just because stuff is in my head it doesn’t necessarily translate objectively through the team. For example, I can’t expect to ask 3 people to clean a room and for them each to clean it to the same standard. But, if I have an itemised check list and descriptions of how to complete tasks, I have a right to expect similar outcomes no matter which of the 3 people tackle the tasks.

This is why we have created protocols, systems and processes across every area of the business: bibles of how to’s including flow charts, and where appropriate we write systems collaboratively so they are fit for purpose and engender compliance.

We’re not there yet, but my end goal is to have a bot where you ask “how to …” and it will throw up the answer without having to search through folders or documents.

So, with systems comes standardisation, and this will help to keep us on-brand no matter how big we grow.

Empower and Engage 💪

When you go somewhere every day you can become blind to it. So, as I walk around the practice I pretend it is my first visit, and I ask the team to do the same, then we’ll notice our environment – the temperature, smell, a messy shelf or broken draw – and strive to keep it perfect. This keeps standards up and, therefore, helps to keep us on-brand.

We’ve also implemented Kaizen and are proactive with it, so everybody engages with continuous improvement and marginal gains. My thinking is if you’re engaged you care, and consequently you’ll be motivated to maintain and develop the brand.

Communication 🗣️

We have a very open dialogue between the whole team, everybody is celebrated and supported, yet held accountable to maintaining standards and keeping us on-brand.

Respect 💛🩶

The above sets out what Carew Dental demands from the team, but another crucial element of this blueprint is being an outstanding employer.

Undoubtedly, our enormous respect for the whole team is vital to keeping on-brand. We offer a fabulous welfare/benefits package, listen to and support everybody, nurture each other in every way we can, and collaborate on developing the business.

Through a mutual love of our brand each person wants to safeguard it because they believe in it, and as we welcome new people they become part of the Carew Crew, where we’re fiercely protective of our standards and the Carew brand.

… So there we are, from 3 of us in 2021, to 19 of us today.

We’re undergoing rapid growth, and everyday is a school day for me as we navigate keeping the expansion on-brand, and not forfeiting my original values and goals along the way.