Company culture is one of those things you hear popping up almost everywhere these days, but what is it really? Head of Recruiting for Stifel John Pierce wrote in Forbes that “Company culture refers to employees’ shared norms and expectations. It’s the “how we do things” of your workplace”.
Building this is important in any company, but it’s even more important for companies looking to grow and hold on to the magic that got them going in the first place. Here’s a couple of ways to build an adaptable, unique culture that scales with your company.
KEEP COMPANY VISION & VALUES TOP OF MIND
Most companies have a vision or mission statement that’s somewhere on their website—but great companies keep that vision top of mind always. A shared vision is crucial because it provides a guide for everyone to aim for the same target. When everyone is moving in the same direction, collaboration follows naturally.But how do you make sure everyone is on the same page? One way to do this is to come up with ways to integrate your vision and values into the day-to-day. cred client Unacast took on this challenge and created their own signature visual cue, UNA, which embodies all of their values in a fun way that employees can play with and take pride in. Think about what your unique vision and values are and how to weave them into the everyday experience for your team.
2. KEEP COMMUNICATIONS OPEN & TRANSPARENT
As a company grows, it’s vital that there is a sense of openness and transparency for everyone on the team. Operating openly builds trust among the different layers of a company, and trust can make or break future success and team loyalty.
Build in transparency by creating forums for employee feedback, and an action plan for how to address and acknowledge it. People will do their best work for organizations where they feel comfortable and valued. Making sure your organization is living by its values and not just talking about them is the first step to attracting and retaining a strong team.
3. CELEBRATE WINS TOGETHER
What does success look like for your company? Is it making a big sale, adding a new client, or securing a major speaking engagement? Whatever success looks like for you, it’s important to celebrate it together as a team. Celebrating is fun, and a team that has fun together is excited and motivated to keep that spark of success going.
By making an event of wins, you also get the benefit of setting expectations for what success means for your company. Instead of attending another meeting to hear what is expected of each employee, they get the experience of seeing what success looks like, and are incentivized to get in on the action. As the number of employees grows, this practice is also a great chance to highlight different team members to make sure everyone feels included and acknowledged.
Here at cred, we tie our values to our wins by celebrating weekly MVCs (Most Valuable credians), individuals who are recognized for their embodiment of-of our core values.
A thriving company culture keeps everyone excited to come to work each day and prepared put their best foot forward. These tips can get you started, but as you listen to the specific wants and needs of your own team, your unique company culture will begin to unfold!
