“A winning team culture isn’t built on motivational signs, slogans and rah-rah speeches. It’s built on people, values and high standards.” Allistair McCaw
Company culture is important but it’s priority can be easily lost in the day-to-day busyness of business. It’s like a marriage, where there are some important conversations to have along the journey, but the busyness of normal life can help a couple avoid them. It takes effort, planning and focus, plain and simple.
A key question to ask about culture is not only what you want it to be but what do you need to get to the bottom line? For instance, if the goal is to increase revenue year over year, what is needed to make that happen? If you make the culture all about the dollars, you are unlikely to actually get there. If you do, you are very likely to deal with burned out employees and high turnover.
If you emphasize rules, you will likely gain compliance but lose the creativity, innovation and passion required for a great company culture. Employee turnover will also be high. Leaders focus on what they want people to do rather than what they want people to avoid.
Shaping your company culture can start with a series of fill-in’s:
I want our company to be viewed ___________
I want everyone in our company to feel __________
I want my employees to feel that they are part of _____
I want us to believe in ________
Then there are these questions:
(1) Are our managers executive coaches and mentors?
(2) Are we dedicated to health and wellness for our employees?
(3) Are we open to learning new things?
I learned a formula from a mentor many years ago: Rules without Relationships = Rebellion. It works across all relationships, including your company culture. Building healthy relationships with your people is the foundation of a great company culture. It’s not a waste of time.
Start building your culture in the direction you want it to go. Take control today.