What is company culture? The best definition I’ve seen so far is the set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterize an institution or organization. It’s that feeling you get when you walk through the company’s doors or interact with their staff. It’s the collection of priorities, values and beliefs driving the decisions that are made daily. The critical part here is that it’s shared by the whole organization, meaning it’s not accepted in pockets or something that part of the group prioritizes but its adopted and lived out by the entire team.
Why does it matter? As business leaders and owners, our list of “to do’s” and our piles of “great intentions” are never ending. We have many things and people vying for our time, energy and resources all within days and weeks that seem to become shorter and shorter as our businesses grow. So why should we prioritize investing our energies into creating culture? It’s simple really, we have no choice. Healthy cultures reduce turn-over, increase productivity, increase performance consistency, increase customer service levels and ensure our businesses remain committed to the principles that the organization started with. Our organizations are dependent on great employees because of this we have to attract, retain and grow A+ players. Those players are looking for organizations that intentionally create an environment that motivates them to be awesome and rewards them for it. In order for us to remain competitive and build companies that can sustain and grow, culture requires our intentional engagement.