4 Simple Ways to Build a Conscious Culture at Your Company
By Joe Galvin of VistageCompany culture starts with leadership. Don't leave your culture to its own devices. Build it with intention as the leaders of a company influence your culture! First let’s define company culture based on Dr. Fons Trompenaars definition: “Corporate culture is how teams of people solve problems, innovate and serve stakeholders across relationships, time and environment.”Let’s read what ways Joe Galvin recommends on developing a healthy, productive corporate culture.“Many leaders are approaching company culture the wrong way. Instead of consciously creating their company culture, leaders are letting it develop on its own.Not surprisingly, this has led to sub-par results. Vistage surveyed 1,518 CEOs from U.S. small and midsize businesses last September, just 11 percent of CEOs indicated they are satisfied with the strength of their company culture.This means that the majority of small and midsize companies are missing out on the benefits that come with a strong culture. Vistage research suggests that companies with a great culture have:
- A Strong Pipeline of Top Talent
- HigherEmployee Retention
- LowerRate of Voluntary Turnover
- More Employee Referrals
- Better Climate of Engaged Workers
As a leader, you have the authority and responsibility to be deliberate about the culture you create in your company, department or team. To do this well, Joe says start with these four steps.
- Put culture on the top of your leadership agenda.
Is developing culture part of your daily work? Is the strength of your culture truly important to you? Have you consistently made your culture a priority? If you're not answering "yes" to each of these questions, remember that cultural development starts at the top.As a leader, you have to create, promote and reinforce your ideal culture. Leverage your leadership team to ensure your employees understand and embrace the culture and demonstrate behaviors that exemplify it.
- Evaluate your culture with quantifiable metrics.
Culture is a tricky thing to measure, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to quantify. Culture is directly connected to hiring and retention, so metrics related to employee turnover, time-to-hire and employee engagement can shed light on your cultural strengths and weaknesses. Annual engagement studies and pulse surveys are valuable tools to begin with.
- Live your cultural values every day.
Ask yourself: How do I show up to work every day? Do my actions reflect our cultural values? Am I walking the talk? If you don't live your culture, your employees won't, either. Lead by example and expect what you accept.
- Communicate your mission, vision and purpose clearly and consistently.
After you articulate your mission, vision and purpose, communicate it visually and verbally. Make sure your actions and attitude communicate the same messages that your email campaigns and posters do. Culture is a living thing, and it will weaken or mutate if it is not continuously reinforced by what you say and what you do.Corporate culture is a powerful connector that motivates employees to employ positive behaviors and attitudes that becomes the “brand of your business.” Leaders who want robust business results and an environment of productive, thriving employees should intentionally use these four steps to create a culture that is a competitive advantage.”ELAvate has a library of tools, assessments and processes to measure and improve your corporate culture. Please contact me at michael.griffin@elavateglobal.com to explore how we can support your vision for a more positive productive culture.Have a great week leading your organizational culture!Michael J GriffinFounder ELAvateJohn Maxwell Team FounderKorn Ferry/AchieveForum Master Trainer