Culture of Your Company

The culture of a company is the significant driving force which resists being measured but can always be felt. It is that set of beliefs, premises, and emotions which are living and experienced by all members of the team. Everyone knows the culture that exists within their own company. You can feel it from the very first day that you show up for work. But if your company’s culture is counter to its effectiveness, how do you go about changing it?

Some organizations experience a culture that is incongruent with achieving its goals, or might even be opposed to the very existence and mission of that organization. Many well-intentioned managers try to change their company’s culture in a way that is ineffective and even detrimental to the life of the team. They misunderstand that culture is an organic development and not a mandate. Although it can be influenced by outside forces and senior management, it will never be held captive to the desires of a tight-fisted captain.

It is the shaping and harnessing of this culture that has been the Holy Grail of many managers. This is what I call the “culture trap”, when managers try to shape the culture with ineffective means and end up creating a force that is more damaging than what they had to begin with. They try to steer the culture into a direction of raising the bar, but instead exacerbate their very problem by influencing it in the direction of micromanagement, fear, and distrust. I have even seen CEO’s embark on a voyage of pretentious futility by creating a position similar to a “culture czar” or “minister of culture.” Culture can never be institutionalized. To even try is folly.

Instead of forcing a culture change on a company, you must simply allow that change to Chappen. You cannot change the direction of a river. But you can channel it through a dam and harness its energy to provide power for an entire city. Don’t think in terms of changing and dictating the type of culture you would like to see evolve in your group. Instead, channel and direct the efforts of your organization by leading with authenticity.

Follow these three steps to positively influencing and shaping the culture of your company:

1) Spend time in the field. Get to know the people who make up your organization. Carve out at least ten percent of your time every other week to mix and mingle with the line workers on the plant floor and listen to them tell you about their challenges. You might not have the solution, but at least you took time to listen. Listening to your employees helps you build good will and shows that your intentions are authentic. In the world of leadership development and culture change, sometimes the intentions are good enough.

2) Understand the grievances and complaints and issues that all of your staff bring to you. Sometimes you might disagree with the person who is bringing you the complaint, and it’s fine to tell them of your difference so long as you first hear them out and let them know that they have been understood. There is a crisis of understanding in our society. Understand the issues of your people and empathize with them.

3) Live in a way that is congruent with the values of your company. If respect is a core value of your organization and you blew off the meeting you scheduled with a prospective vendor, then you are lacking in your authenticity and it will be felt in other areas of the organization. Every interaction with those who work in your company and those who come in contact with it will shape the way your culture develops within your organization. As a leader, you are always on display.

Lead your team with authenticity and congruence, and watch your culture rise to a level that contributes to your team’s effectiveness.

Scott Love shows managers and sales people how to manage their risk and win the game of business. He is a professional speaker and can be reached at 828-225-7700 or on his website at www.nolimitachievement.com