Developing Company Culture is The Responsibility of Leadership: It Lives and Dies With Their Actions

Ask yourself, if you had to give an “elevator pitch,” a less than two-minute overview, on your company culture, what would you say?

Your concept of your company culture should be clear and crisp. When asked, you should be able to explain your culture in a few sentences. Bonus points if you can also weave solid examples of your culture in action during your pitch.

We have talked about how your core values are what help shape your company culture. So, how do you go from the concept of core values to how they translate to company culture? Even more important, how do you maintain a positive, impactful company culture for long-term success?

Here are four repeatable steps that will allow you to start operationalizing these concepts:

Hire People Who Fit In With Your Company Culture

You need to be honest about the people you seek for your company. You can’t settle for just anybody to fill the spot. The saying goes that you can train almost anyone how to do a job, but not every job is for everyone. Ask yourself, would you be willing to forgo hiring somebody who has all the right technical skills for somebody who is lesser- trained but is much more compatible with your culture?

Make It Mandatory For Your Employees To Know And Exemplify The Core Values Of Your Company

Start with yourself, then work with your board. Continue modeling core values with your managers and move on through the org chart all the way to your frontline team members. This is how you spread values. This is the way culture, in general, is spread. It starts at the top with the most influential people and spreads to the rest of the staff. Your management team is influential. What you do and say has a much more profound impact on your team than you realize. It is essential you live those values. This is also why your values have to be a reality in practice, not just on paper. You have to believe in them and if you don’t, there is no way you will be able to uphold the standard, and nobody else will follow suit.

Value Your Employees

Show your employees you value them, their work, and their input. The best way to do this is to listen to them, really listen to what they have to say. Good ideas can come from anybody and often times the best ideas are from your team in the trenches. Don’t discount what they have to say. Does that mean you will have to spend a lot of time listening to people? Yes, but it will be worth it.

Focus On The Concept Of Teamwork

Don’t say “we’re a team” and not mean it. This idea dovetails with valuing your employees. You must treat them alike; you must respect them professionally and appreciate what they bring to your company.

Similarly, every employee should understand where they fit in the company and understand why their work is essential. If they don’t, it’s very easy for disillusionment and discontent to spread, and those two traits are dangerously contagious in a company.

Equal Parts Consulting works with companies to develop a strong, productive company culture. However, we don’t produce it for you, we partner with you on this journey. Culture has to come from the internal vision, goals, and operations of the company. We help uncover these traits and create the atmosphere for company culture development. If you would like to learn more about how we can help your company develop a strong culture, we invite you to contact us for a meeting. We are confident we can help your company achieve its full potential.