Culture: Your Company's Most Important Asset
As a business owner you are responsible for many things: keeping sales up, servicing customers, managing finances, overseeing human resources, everyday office maintenance, marketing, creating social media content...the list goes on and on. With all these things to concern yourself with it's very easy to let the most important one fall between the cracks.
What's more important than all the activities mentioned above? Company culture.
Nobody will ever be as invested in your company as you are. Why would they be? If everything goes up in flames tomorrow they would just go find another job. This doesn't mean that you can't rely on them to go the extra mile to make the company work and grow, this just means you have to get creative when inspiring them to do so.
Company culture isn't about putting on crazy events for your employees or making sure all employees are happy all the time, it's about creating an environment of growth and learning (and yes, even forgiveness) where employees can develop and grow with the company. This is often overlooked by owners and managers, especially when they are consumed by the day to day grind. While it's easy to overlook, it becomes hard to ignore. When you can get your team excited to be a part of the company, they are able to get your customers excited to do business with your company. Conversely, when your employees don't hold the same vision that you do for the company, you will experience high turnover, low morale, and poor customer satisfaction. Either of these scenarios will affect your top and bottom lines.
Today's employees can be compared to modern day consumers. With so many options available to them, today's consumer isn't looking for a product or service. They are looking for an experience. Of course price plays a big role in their decision making but people want to be happy. They want to enjoy the things they do. Companies that provide their customers with a good product or service and make doing business with their company an experience that is memorable the customer will come back time and time again. On the flip side of this, if a customer has a bad experience they will not only find a better option next time, but they will let everyone around them (and on the internet) know about it.
A company’s culture is the foundation for future innovation. An entrepreneur's job is to build the foundation. - Brian Chesky, Co-founder and CEO of Airbnb
This sounds great, but who has time for it? You do. When you provide your employees with a good atmosphere, the right tools and resources, and a feeling that they are a part of something bigger than themselves they will ensure the company thrives. You will see that your employees go above and beyond what's asked of them to not only keep the company alive, but make it thrive!
It's never too late to get started or change the culture you've created in your business. The first step is getting a clear vision and deciding what you value most. Next you'll have to determine if the people you already employ align with your goals, and if not, decide if they can get on board. You may have to make adjustments to your team (yes, I mean fire some people who are holding you back!). Make the tough decisions now. Those people will only frustrate you and create resistance if you try to drag them along. Make sure everyone on your team is on the same page, has a clear idea of what their role is, and is assigned something to be accountable for. This will ensure you are always ahead of any issues that may arise.
Remember practice makes perfect. When implementing change you will have to get out of your comfort zone and get creative. The important part is that you stand true to your values and beliefs and don't give up until you have a team that can give the world the message you want to relay!
What kind of culture does your team have? Or maybe you see something that is happening in your business that must change? Let me know in the comments below!