Bringing a positive attitude and approach to your business right from the start is crucial for fostering motivation and engagement among you and your staff.
Cultivating a shared company culture will not only shape the personality of your business but also influence how it operates and interacts with employees, customers, and the broader community. A strong company culture creates a sense of identity, purpose, and values that aligns everyone towards common goals, fosters collaboration, and drives organizational success.
In this lesson, we will explore the key elements and strategies involved in creating a vibrant and cohesive company culture.
Deciding your values
The term ‘business culture’ encompasses the approach, style, and values that shape how your business operates on a daily basis. While cultures naturally develop and evolve over time, as a business owner, you have the opportunity to establish a set of values that reflect your desired outcomes from the very beginning.
It’s important to note that you cannot simply dictate a culture; it is the collective effort of the people working for your business who bring it to life. However, you can initiate a process that involves your staff and other stakeholders, such as advisors or investors, to collectively agree on a set of core values that resonate with your business’s mission and vision.
When choosing these values, opt for simplicity and meaning. Focus on fundamental principles like honesty and accountability, rather than relying on vague buzzwords that are challenging to interpret or uphold.
Once you have defined your values, it’s crucial to incorporate them into your business practices and processes. For instance, if innovation is one of your core values, create an environment that encourages employees to take risks and learn from mistakes without fear of severe consequences.
Furthermore, it’s essential to communicate your values to your customers, clients, and suppliers. By doing so, you provide them with a deeper understanding of your business, fostering more positive and meaningful relationships.
Remember, establishing a strong company culture is an ongoing process that requires consistent reinforcement and commitment from everyone involved. When values are embraced and exemplified by both the business owner and the employees, they become the guiding principles that drive decision-making, behavior, and ultimately contribute to the success of the organization.
Living your values
To ensure that your company culture permeates every aspect of your business, it’s important to take a holistic approach. This involves incorporating your values into all sections of your business, communicating them to all stakeholders, and actively demonstrating them in your interactions with staff, customers, clients, and suppliers.
Begin by integrating your values into various facets of your business operations, including policies, procedures, and employee guidelines. Make sure that your values are evident and consistently reinforced throughout the organization.
Effective communication of your values is essential. Share them with all individuals involved in your business, including employees, contractors, partners, and stakeholders. This can be done through various channels, such as company meetings, internal newsletters, or training sessions. By clearly articulating your values, you provide a framework for behavior and decision-making that aligns with your desired culture.
Actions speak louder than words. As a business owner, actively demonstrate your values in your daily interactions and business practices. Lead by example and set the tone for others to follow. Whether it’s treating your employees with respect and fairness, going the extra mile for customers, or maintaining integrity in your dealings with suppliers, your actions should consistently reflect the values you have established.
When selecting values for your business, focus on those that are achievable in the present rather than aspirational goals for the future. This ensures that your values can be immediately integrated into your business practices and resonate with your current operations.
Creating a memorable mnemonic can assist in reinforcing your values throughout the organization. For example, using ICE (Innovate, Create, Excite) as a reminder of your values can help employees internalize and apply them in their work.
It’s important to avoid meaningless clichés that lack substance. Instead, use active language that conveys the essence of your values. For instance, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has a value statement that emphasizes “Doing the right thing,” which provides clear guidance for ethical decision-making.
Lastly, let your values guide your recruitment and decision-making processes. Incorporate your values into your hiring criteria and assess candidates based on their alignment with your cultural values. Similarly, use your values as a framework for making business decisions, ensuring that they are consistent with your desired culture and long-term goals.
By living your values and integrating them into all aspects of your business, you create a cohesive and purpose-driven culture that resonates with your employees and stakeholders, fostering a positive and productive work environment.
Creating your culture
To create a successful culture, it’s important to lead your staff and other stakeholders through a shared process of defining meaningful values that will shape your business. Follow these steps to begin shaping your company culture:
1. Get people talking
Start by engaging with individuals in your target market to understand what matters to them. Study how other businesses have expressed their values and learn from their successes and failures.
2. Capture ideas and discuss
Encourage everyone involved in the process to contribute their ideas about positive values. Write down all the ideas and engage in deep discussions to explore how they relate to your business and its objectives.
3. Organise and rationalise ideas
Group similar values together and rank them based on their potential impact on your business and their alignment with your target market. Set aside at least 10 high-scoring values for further consideration.
4. Ensure everyone understands
Take the time to discuss and define what each chosen value means in practice. Explore how these values will benefit your customers and contribute to your business’s success. Evaluate the feasibility of achieving these values realistically.
5. Pick the winning ideas
Prioritize the values by placing them in order of importance. Select the top 7 values that best reflect your business’s personality and goals. Engage in further discussions to solidify how these values will be implemented and put into action.
6. Incorporate your values
Integrate the chosen values into every aspect of your business. Review your existing practices and make necessary changes to align with the desired culture. Consider incorporating the values into your marketing materials and communication efforts, if applicable.
By involving your staff and stakeholders in this process, you create a sense of ownership and shared responsibility for the culture of your business. Incorporating the chosen values into your operations and promoting them externally will help establish a strong and cohesive company culture.
