The culture of your company really matters. It matters in the sense that the culture you create inside your organization will have a direct impact on your bottom line. It’s really a simple equation; Great culture = produces happy, productive, and loyal people. And….. Happy, productive, and loyal people = will make you a lot of money. Here is the definition of corporate culture from Webster Dictionary:
Corporate culture refers to the beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact.Too often, leaders are overwhelmed when they think about improving culture. Because it feels like a giant, unquantifiable, nebulous idea too confusing and too uncertain to take on. But here’s the thing about having a rockstar corporate culture: it’s not as confusing as it seems if you just focus on this one main idea:
CONNECTING.
Yes, simply connecting with the other humans that work with you and for you. When thinking about corporate culture, at the end of the day, it’s really a simple idea: How thrilled are your people to work where they work? And nothing will make your people more thrilled than creating a culture that focuses on making your people feel connected. Culture is all about human connection. I was recently talking about this idea with a CEO I’m working with and I said to him…“Everyone at your company is walking around with a hidden sign hanging around their neck and it says, “Do I really matter?” The job of a great leader is to communicate through both words and actions that, yes, you really matter! (PS – this also applies to your home life.) When people feel like who they are, and what they do really matters, culture skyrockets. And so does profit. Connecting with your people in ways that communicate they really matter is the simplest and most effective way to dramatically improve culture. And this is what I love coaching leadership teams with. Google knows this well. It’s why they are ranked a top-place to work year after year. The company recently published research from a 10-year internal study about what makes a good manager. Here is a recap of the study titled; 10 Traits of a Great Manager. What I find so compelling about the 10 traits that Google has published, is that 6 traits of the 10 traits are pure, nuts and bolts, connecting with your people skills.Try this quick exercise to grow Connection + Culture: Over the next week, take 5 minutes out of your day and communicate your appreciation and gratitude to your key reports. Just do it out of the blue and let them know how appreciative you are for their unique contribution to the team, and overall contribution to the success of the organization. These words are powerful. It communicates your genuine care and it’s an easy way to stay connected. Without question, this simple exercise will result in people showing up the next day more enthusiastically and ready to perform.
The great news about improving culture through connection is that the changes are often very small, but very impactful. And they don’t cost a dime. If you’d like to learn more about how we could work together in creating an improved culture in your organization, please visit my website and learn more about the organizational health services I offer.