In so many organizations, people simply show up, clock in and then go home at the end of the day. When work is your life’s ultimate obligation, you’re much more likely to experience burnout and it’s likely your job performance will suffer. As an employer, it not only is the right thing to do to try to help people enjoy their work, it can help you increase the bottom line quickly and retain great employees.
Company culture is a hot topic in corporate America these days, and business owners who can build a culture which extends into people’s lives and creates a positive work environment can unlock their company’s full potential.
As a business coach in the Louisville, Kentucky area, I have worked with companies with great culture and ones with very bad culture and I’ve learned the difference between the ones who do it right, the ones who don’t promote culture at all and the ones who try to make a positive culture but fail.
When working with my clients, I stress the importance of being real with your employees. No company who pushes a “we are family” narrative without offering support, listening to their people and/or trying to help them succeed will reach their goals, and in many cases it will only make the culture worse if you say one thing and do another.
Changing culture takes commitment to your people and to learning what work truly means for them, and then taking steps to help them reach their goals. You can do this by giving people a voice, supporting their goals outside the office and helping your team members understand how their role impacts their co-workers and the company as a whole.
By creating an environment where people feel welcome, are treated with respect and have the freedom to pursue their passions, you can get the most out of your people, they will stay at your company longer and it even becomes easier to recruit top talent. A culture change can provide the biggest impact to your business, and it doesn’t cost anything.
I have selected a quote from a recent coaching session to illustrate this point further, you can find it below. If you need help creating a positive culture in your business, please give me a call or fill out the form on my website to get started today.
People want to feel important, they want to be connected to something that’s bigger than themselves. That’s why people like the NFL or college sports, because it gives them a connection to something bigger in the world, people that are connected in similar ways.
You fill a stadium full of football fans on a Saturday afternoon and there’s energy, everybody’s there for a common goal and a purpose and rooting for their team. The music, the energy, the tailgating; it’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s something bigger than just what they do every day in their personal life or in their work.
So, make your place of business, make your organization, about something bigger than just cashing and checks and making money.
