A positive company culture can create transformations in the workplace! In this blog we look at some hidden opportunities to help you with either starting a new culture campaign or in boosting your current one.
If there is one thing we know about opportunities, is that they are limitless. Company culture is one aspect of an organization that has a big capacity to grow and create a positive impact not only on company performance, but also on the smooth running of the daily tasks at hand.
It largely depicts the how to be reaching the goals and also sets the bar for how employees, teams and departments interact with one another. You may have your mission, vision and values set in place and communicated to all the staff members, but a one-way communication does not necessarily result in a culture shift.
“Only when we take our values off the wall and actually live them can we say we have a strong corporate culture.” – Simon Sinek
Here are some opportunities you can look out for when planning to improve your workplace culture.
The Opportunity to Lead By Example
Starting with yourself first and foremost is the most essential step to any change you want to create. We all know the renowned quote by Gandhi, “You are the change you want to see in the world”, but how often do we act on it?
If you happen to be in a position that influences other people, there is a huge opportunity for you to not only lead by example but also to grow as a person and live by values you truly believe in. It is a win-win situation that is bound to pay off. On the contrary, what leaders tend to do is to work harder on their persuasive speeches and on communicating the company values more frequently. But these actions hardly compare to being able to demonstrate and live the values you preach and expect from others.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to initiate change and grow throughout the change process!
The Opportunity to Create a Strongly-rooted Culture
One of the best questions for employees to ask themselves when it comes to being part of a strongly-rooted culture is, “Is what I am doing giving meaning and value to my life?”.
In a healthy and strong culture, where employee motivation is on a high level, most employees in the organization would respond with a yes. If not, there lies an opportunity for employees to ask themselves the next question. “How do I find the meaning, the ‘Why’ to my work?”. When employees are aware of what drives them and fuels them to perform at their best, that is the key to a strongly-rooted culture and higher level of employee productivity. Due to identifying the cause and giving meaning and value to their job, they are even more likely to turn down a better paying job.
The Opportunity to Build Trust and Belonging
Instilling a sense of trust and belonging in people can be very tricky. It’s important to always remember that building a sense of trust and belonging takes patience and commitment. It requires creating employee recognition system, or new strategies especially on how to react to situations when unfavorable things happen.
In a culture where trust and belonging exists, people are willing to say when they’ve made a mistake, or when they need help. They also expect to receive the help or support they need as opposed to being afraid to speak up.
Taking responsibility for failures is one of the most important aspects of building trust across all levels of the business. When employees observe such behaviors especially from seniors at the organization, they are more likely to own up to their failures and move forward to learning the lesson from it.
The change in behaviors we discussed here are definitely easier said than done, but how exciting can it be to tap into the potentials of your employees? These behaviors work as the foundation of not only successful companies, but also companies that have a healthy and positive way of working with one another. In summary, begin by finding the meaning and value yourself in your own life, own up to your successes and failures and become an inspiration to others.
