The Powerful Undercurrent of Culture
Culture is a weird thing. We notice it when it's spectacular, we notice it when it's terrible, but otherwise, we typically don't think much about it. Nearly every aspect of our life is ruled or influenced by culture. We don't usually consider it because it just exists. We watch those who come before us, and we absorb the culture. Once we've absorbed it, we continue to pass it along to others.
Holding the door open for others, saying please and thank you, yielding to the person who got to the intersection first, and leaving a tip for the server. These are all cultural rules we've learned, absorbed, and passed on, whether we realize it or not.
Much of our culture has been established, passed down, and slowly evolved for generations. In other situations, however, culture must be created. When we opened the doors at Northern Vessel 14 months ago, we had a choice to make. We could allow the prevailing culture to take over or intentionally curate our own culture. We chose the latter. We spent (and still spend) more time with our staff talking about culture than on drink preparation. The culture is everything. The culture begins with the staff. Once they portray the culture, it's absorbed and passed along to others.
Speaking of, we also needed to establish the culture of a Northern Vessel guest. Where do you order? Where do you wait for your order? How do you use the space to best suit your style and needs? Where do you get water? Where do you put your dirty dishes? All of these are small components of culture. In the first few weeks, I and a few others planted ourselves in the guest area, practicing the desired culture for others to absorb. Within a matter of days, guests had absorbed the culture and were passing it along to others. Today, between our amazing staff and hundreds of loyal guests, the culture is deeply seeded.
Cruise ships have an interesting dilemma. It's like a wild science experiment. Put 5,000 guests (from all over the world speaking many different languages) on a boat simultaneously, lock them there for a week, send them packing simultaneously, and then do it again. We aren't talking about slowly building the culture of a coffee shop for hundreds of people over the course of months. It's creating a culture for 5,000 people in a matter of hours. What a challenge!!!
Royal Caribbean executes it brilliantly:
They lean into their staff (3,000+ of them!?!?) to drive culture. It all starts with them. They are highly trained.
Communication, communicaiton, communication. From signage, to the PA announcements, to the programming on the in-room TVs, they are constantly communicating desired outcomes.
They leverage their loyal, returning guests. They are grateful for returning business, but also know these guests will pass along the culture.
No matter our role(s) in life, we have two choices: intentionally curate and/or bend culture, or simply absorb the prevailing culture (for better or worse).