Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with a passion.
— Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb
A lot can be said about corporate culture and how to shape it. After reviewing the most respected sources on corporate culture and leadership, we have identified several key points. Organizational experts and leaders are on the same page about the following ideas:
1. Choose your own way of corporate culture
It would be great if there were a list of rules for creating a company culture in your organization. However, every team is unique, with special traditions, morals, and principles at the heart of each one. You can inherit the experience of others, but be prepared to create your own rules, rituals, and norms.
While some companies select complete freedom of behavior in the workplace, others value dress codes and silence during work. There is no right or wrong because different cases require different approaches! To find more examples of corporate culture, take a look at the The Culture Code summary.
2. Prioritize your team
The first thing you should remember before building the culture code of your company is the golden rule — leaders eat last. When you’re the head of a company, you have to make it your business to care about the interests of your organization and your employees.
When we read stories about the incredible feats of school staff during a hootenanny, about musicians playing during the Titanic flood, we hardly think about such a thing as corporate culture. However, it is one of the main reasons for such actions. As a leader, your task is to forge a corporate culture that will make your employees appreciate what they do. Our summary of the book Leaders Eat Last provides valuable insights on this topic.
3. Embrace openness, empathy, and trust
Of course, being an open leader doesn’t mean coming into the office and proclaiming in public that you have a terrible phobia of clowns and women. Being open with your subordinates reveals different aspects, such as shared values and morals. This can often be difficult, especially within companies with wide cultural, sexual, religious, and age diversity.
You must learn to accept your coworkers’ differences and encourage others to do the same. To build trust and inclusivity in your workplace, you should know how to have conversations on sensitive issues. The summary of We Can’t Talk about That at Work! is full of valuable tips.
4. Launch a healthy communication process
Based on the previous point, you must build a strong system of internal company communication. When your employees suffer, your company suffers. The times when people romanticized The Devil Wears Prada are long gone, and many organizations are putting their people and their emotions first. You can go to McDonald’s official website and see the expression under our values: “Family. We get better together.” Consequently, to take care of your coworkers, you should arrange regular meetings and surveys about their well-being and satisfaction with the processes. Besides, do your best to make sure they are not afraid to answer honestly!
At AdvanceMe, we value expanding our knowledge and enriching our lives with specific information. If you’re like us and you want to thoroughly investigate the topic of corporate culture, look through our Top 30 books on workplace culture. You’ll find different perspectives and practical strategies.
5. Be ready to help your colleagues
Caring for the feelings of your staff means more than just listening to their complaints. Imagine a situation where your coworker has lost a close relative. As a leader, your job is to do everything in your power to support their mental health. Not only should you help your subordinate financially if possible, but you can also give them paid vacations, pay their medical bills, and so on.
Furthermore, you can help your subordinate if they experience a mental breakdown in the workplace (this is not uncommon, especially when deadlines are approaching!). Be prepared to take time away from work to be here for your colleague when needed. Seeing that you care about them will make people trust you more and become even more attached to the organization.
6. Allow your subordinates to feel freedom of expression
You could learn a lot from Netflix’s corporate culture. The company values its people, allowing them relative freedom of expression and taking risks to move away from conservatism. Failure is not considered a problem here: if you screw up, you’ll be offered second and third attempts to get better. Netflix also blurs the usual boundaries between bosses and subordinates. This boosts innovation, making Netflix unique among other streaming platforms today.
7. Encourage your colleagues to become better versions of themselves
However, Netflix would not have achieved its success without such an essential aspect as growth management. Their employees are true professionals who want to try new things and develop. Today, during interviews, every third company asks potential employees what they see themselves as in five years. They do it for a reason: because your ambition, added to the aspiration of your colleagues, will take your company to the next level.
However, don’t forget to “feed” your employees’ ambition by offering them new challenges and encouraging them to grow. After all, your subordinates may move on to a higher position in another company without getting fulfillment at their current workplace.
Learn more about how to improve corporate culture in the summary of Radical Candor.
8. Make your coworkers’ day better
A chain reaction is something even children know about. It’s especially crucial in setting the mood in your workplace. One sullen person who is never satisfied with anything can set a negative mood for the whole team. On the other hand, one smile first thing in the morning, one compliment on the legal department’s excellent work, or one “How are you doing, Carl?” can improve your subordinates’ moods all day long.
Be the person who triggers a series of smiles and creates a positive atmosphere among your subordinates. However, this has to be sincere, and it’s only possible if positivity becomes your mindset. Discover how to obtain this superpower with the help of Positive Intelligence.
At the end of the day, remember that to be an incredible leader, you must first be a good person. Everyone has thoughts of profit, but they should not guide your communication with coworkers. Use various methods, such as team building, surveys, meetings, and small corporate rituals, to develop your corporate culture to its fullest.
Credentials:
- Photo by RF._.studio from Pexels
- Photo by fauxels from Pexels
