GettyGetty
Company culture has become something of a buzzword recently as leaders try to identify the components of an ideal working environment. Yet, when you attempt to describe what company culture is, you realize how difficult it is to define. How a company establishes a strong culture may vary across the business world, but one thing should always be true: Culture must always benefit both employees and the company.
So, what are its other components then? It isn’t just open-office layouts, unlimited work-from-home days or having a ping pong table in the lounge. Think of company culture as your brand — the culmination of your identity and your values. A company’s founders and leaders are primarily responsible for forging their culture, but it’s something that will eventually take on a life and personality of its own. Everything from the employees you hire, the design of your office, the standard of communication to the way you provide feedback are all factors that form your culture.
If you have a strong culture, it will be evident in the functionality of your company. Are high-caliber employees drawn to your company? Do they stay long before moving on to their next venture? Is the productivity of your team consistently improving your bottom line? These questions can be telling of the culture you’ve managed to build — a litmus test for what’s working and what’s not.
A recent report by Hired found that 45% of job seekers look at culture as the No. 1 deciding factor before accepting a job offer. And Harvard Business School professor emeritus, Howard H. Stevenson, says “Maintaining an effective culture is so important that it, in fact, trumps even strategy.”
Company culture is not only a reflection of your business, it’s a reflection of you as a leader. Executives who ignore the impact of workplace environment often lead with a heavy hand — the “my way or the highway” management approach we know has severe, irreversible consequences. At my company, setting the business up for success means first taking care of our employees. If they aren’t satisfied, the value they once saw in their work will no longer be sustainable — they’ll eventually lose interest in our mission, which means their work will suffer and, ultimately, so will our clients.
What is your culture saying about your leadership style? Your corporation? When you hold up a mirror to your workplace, this is what you should see:
Purpose Over Perks
Let me explain: I am not going to make a case for why perks aren’t important — quite the opposite, actually. Perks are tied to purpose, but they must be intentional. Every company should offer perks to its employees, but some leaders believe the way to their employees’ hearts is to distract them with fun benefits like free snacks, bring-your-dog-to-work days and “Whiskey Fridays,” which is what Dropbox calls their company-wide happy hours.
Employees will enjoy these perks (how could they not?), but they aren’t deep-rooted, and they aren’t necessarily part of your culture. Perks are fun, but your company’s core values are what create your culture. These values will inform who you hire, serve as a reminder of your company’s mission and continue to foster purpose within your team. But these values cannot just be just words on a website or in your company handbook, they have to be practiced daily. Think: the Rule of Seven.
Collaboration Over Cliques
As much as we’d like to believe that cliques end after high school, the truth is they don’t. It’s natural that different friend groups will form in the workplace, but, as leaders, it’s important we encourage as much collaboration between individuals as possible. When you work with someone who has a different perspective than you, it challenges your thinking and fosters higher levels of creativity and innovation.
Be an example of collaboration at your company. If you rarely interact with your employees and seldom work with other leaders at your company, it won’t be unnoticed. At mid- and large-sized businesses, it’s not uncommon for nearly a quarter of employees to not know the name of their company’s CEO. Model collaboration and make sure employees understand — and see — how valuable communication is within and across departments.
Leaders Over Lackeys
As the CEO of your company, it’s tempting to be the one to spearhead every project and new initiative. Most managers do this for quality control, but what they don’t realize is that they are reinforcing themselves as the “leaders” and their employees as “followers.” If your goal is to attract top talent, you must be prepared to grow that talent.
Divide up responsibilities across employees and designate new leaders to incoming projects. By giving your employees more control, you will be able to pinpoint each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. A great leader will use this information to customize an employee’s professional development goals. Not only that, but giving other employees the opportunity to lead will allow you to identify the natural born leaders on your team.
Company culture is both simple and complex. When you’re thinking about how you can improve your workplace culture, think about it in terms of what you’re willing to tolerate. If you don’t want certain behaviors, personalities or patterns forming at your company, use these to inform your values, which, when implemented and practiced, will inform your culture. But remember, culture is something that is constantly growing. Mistakes will be made, but when you’re aware of these failings, you’ll be able to evolve your culture to meet standards that are good for you, your employees and your business.
