Successfully Shaping Company Culture

The modern workplace is a culmination of all ages, genders, races, and religions. With such a diverse workforce, it is important that your business operates in an inclusive and positive manner. The main way to set the tone for your business is by establishing a positive company culture. Company culture can be defined as, “a set of shared values, goals, attitudes and practices that characterize an organization.” Says builtin.com. 

Set Clear Goals and Priorities

This may seem obvious, but without setting clear goals and what you value, it may be hard to know exactly what you would like to see out of your employees. Start by writing your core values and goals out on a sheet of paper. Branch off of these core values to help set expectations and prioritize the most important values. Having these ideas down on a permanent surface helps you better visualize what it is you are trying to accomplish.  

Celebrate Victories that Align with Company Culture

If your employee does something that you feel fulfills the ideas and values your company strides to display, celebrate that. By making a huge deal about these positive events, it encourages other employees to act in a similar manner or go out of their way to meet the values set by you and your company. Celebrating your employees for their actions should already be an established part of your company’s goals and priorities. Some simple ways to do this is by highlighting your team member’s success in a company-wide email or even in an in-person meeting. This simple action shows your employee that they are valued and their hard work does not go without notice. 

Search for Deeper Meaning in Daily Life

Even after graduating from school, there is always opportunity to grow and learn every day. Look for learning opportunities and relatable stories every day to highlight with your team. What can we learn from these stories? Share with your team how they align with your company’s core values and ideals. Take time on a weekly basis to go over what lessons everyone has learned this week. You can also share an anecdote that you feel sheds light on a certain value you would like to promote. 

Set a Positive Example

If you want your staff to adhere to a certain set of values and ethics, you better make sure you are following those same moral ideas as well. Leaders lead by example. Employees respect leaders who stick to what they say. The quickest way to lose this respect is by breaking your own rules and values to avoid having to do hard work. 

Relate Strong Emotion to your Values

Motivational stories and celebratory emails are helpful in promoting good company culture, but one of the strongest ways to relate is through emotion. Relating difficult or emotional situations to company values is a great way to show your team why you all do what you do. For example, an insurance company sells insurance to cover homes in case of damage or disaster. When a storm comes through and totally destroys someone’s home, they turn to their insurance company for resolution. Use these situations as a reminder of why your business does what it does. 

Promote Positive Company Culture from Day 1

During the process of hiring new employees, your company’s priorities and cultural ideals should be front and center. By being open and straightforward right from the beginning about what is expected you can more easily weed out individuals whose personality or behavior may not align well with your company culture. 

Remember, successfully shaping your company’s culture won’t happen right away. It takes years of effort and hard work to build a strong, beneficial company culture. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t progress as quickly as you’d like. Stay the course and never forget what you stand for.