Your company culture drives your company’s success. It’s formed from the values and mindset of your employees and leadership team.
When you design a company culture and work environment that your employees appreciate, they’ll care more about their jobs and be more invested in the success of your company. In turn, your business will reach new heights.
It’s up to leaders to make sure culture supports your company’s mission, vision, and values. How do you want your employees to talk about your company? How do you want them to feel when they walk in the door?
Creating a company culture starts by defining what your company stands for. What are you passionate about? What are your core values? Your mission statement, vision, and company values should define and support your company culture.
Rolling Out Your Company Culture
Encourage your employees to embrace the behaviors and principles that you want to put into practice. Lead by example. Small gestures are contagious, and go a long way toward shifting the culture of your business. Making sure your employees know what is expected of them is key. Discuss with them what you want to accomplish, and be clear about expectations.
It’s also important to:
- Get buy-in: Be sure your major stakeholders support your mission. Your culture should be transparent from the top down. Make sure you and your management team model and clearly communicate your company values.
- Be realistic: Your culture isn’t going to change overnight. Focus on your biggest priorities first. Then depend on your leaders to gauge what is most doable in the short term.
- Welcome feedback: Keep an open-door policy and encourage your employees to come to you with questions.
Driving Corporate Culture Home
From the beginning of the relationship with your employees, be open about your company culture. In job postings, explain your company structure and share your values and philosophy. Once employees are hired, help them become familiar with the culture. How does it play a role in daily business? What are the company’s goals and how do the employees support those?
Take time to explain and demonstrate what it looks like to be an employee – it will go a long way in giving your new hires a sense of belonging.
Keeping Your Company Culture Humming
Promoting a positive company culture will take work, but the benefits of an engaged workforce will make it worth the effort.
- Take the temperature of your organization. Once you’ve implemented a culture, you’ll want to ensure that it stays on track. An anonymous culture survey pulse check, administered by a third party, can give insight into how well it’s going. Once you have your survey results, you must be willing to do something about it. Your employees will expect to see an outcome – otherwise, trust and engagement go out the door.
- Create a succession plan for others to be ready to step up when the time comes. Put emphasis on the development of new leaders, and make current leaders part of the plan to make recommendations on how to prepare successors. Ask employees if they are willing and ready to be groomed for a new role.
