When Harvard Business Review posted their ’10 questions to steer your company through the current crisis’, company culture was on the list. Company culture based on strong company values and inspiring leadership, is needed to keep employees engaged and motivated to guide your company through the challenges we’re facing. Culture brings employees together towards the solutions that we need every single day.
1. Strong companies thrive on strong cultures.
Every successful company someday will stand in the face of a crisis, today we all are. It is precisely in times of crisis that culture determines how you deal with difficult moments & decisions and ultimately how you are perceived and supported by your employees.
When your company has an outspoken mindset, a clear identity, driven by crisp values that are lived up to also by its leaders, you are much more likely to unite your employees and be able to continuously count on them.
2. We can no longer rely on our office, with its rituals and habits.
Culture happens at every company, but not every company manages its culture. Culture is organic and continuously evolving. Culture happens at the watercooler and the coffee machine, in the meeting room and at our desks; culture lives when we meet each other. These days however, these rituals are no longer available. So if your company culture is not managed, not supported with values as its foundations, you risk to lose your employees in their isolation. The result is scattered interpretations that stand in the way of the successful collaborations we need so badly.
3. Your employees are your company.
Whatever industry you’re in, or whatever the size of your company, let’s not forget that it exists because of your employees. It is even in the origins of the word, derived from the old French word ‘compagnie’: society, friendship, fellowship.
It may be easy to know, but it is critical to understand that investing in your culture and clear values, directly impacts your bottom line. The list of research is endless; e.g. 46% of HR, procurement and C-suite leaders say a strong brand leads to stronger engagement and higher productivity (Randstad Sourceright’s Talent Trends). From hiring through firing, investing in your employees is investing in your company.
Developing and managing a strong culture for and with your employees should be high on your list, if you want to stand for a strong company.