Creating a Culture Advantage

“Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.” —Simon Sinek

Culture matters

• It gives your people something to care about.

• It affects the direction your company takes.

• It’s one of the few ways SMBs can compete with big businesses.

• It is the easiest way to engage your people.

Why does culture matter?

Culture is the compass that guides which direction your company will go.

84 percent of employees believe culture is critical to business success.

“You Can’t Buy Your Culture at Walmart!”—Mike Kerr, Humor at Work speaker

How do companies do it wrong?

• People are leaving. Often.

• Not communicating in the right way.

• You borrowed the company values from another company.

• Bad behaviors from leaders (will trickle down eventually).

• Managers are not willing to do front-line work.

• Your people don’t bring on their own friends when you have an opening.

• Employees compete with each other more than against your competitors.

• Your people don’t like each other.

• People don’t know or care about the company’s overall goals.

Signs that company culture stinks:

If your people aren’t working hard and playing hard, your company culture may need a lift.

51 percent of employees think a major overhaul is currently

needed in their culture.

How can companies do it right?

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we

love is called passion.” —Simon Sinek

Any of these look familiar?

What sets these companies apart from the others?

• It’s okay to fail.

• Creativity and good work is rewarded.

• You enjoy working with those around you.

• Your people know and live your company values.

• Freedom to make decisions and flexibility to do your best work in the best way.

• Your CEO is available to each and every employee.

• Your people actively share your company wins and job openings on social media.

• Helping each other is not an exception, it’s the norm.

• Great ideas can come from anyone.

• Your boss actually knows what you do in your spare time.

Signs that company culture rocks:

Use video to show your culture:

If your people like coming to work and start taking an ownership perspective of their work, then you know your culture is working for you.

60 percent of employees think culture is more important than strategy or

operating model.

How can you create a great culture?

“At Zappos, our belief is that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff—like great customer

service, or building a great long-term brand, or passionate employees and customers—will

happen naturally on its own.” —Tony H., CEO of Zappos

• Recognize the problem.

• Know what you want.

• Make it official.

• Show you’re different from the rest.

• Always live it.

• Empower your people.

• Hire for culture fit.

• Correct, when needed.

• Celebrate your culture wins.

Steps to create your own rocking culture:

59 percent of employees think the CEO and other top leaders are responsible

for changing culture.

Culture isn’t another to-do on your list; it’s something you and everyone in your company should be living every

day—without having to think about it.

How can you measure results?

“An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate

competitive advantage.” —Jack Welch

• Number of applicants when recruiting

• Employee retention

• Employee satisfaction

• Performance numbers

• Number of people reading your blog and engaging on social media

Measurable Data:

• Vibe at the office

• Type of people you attract

• People are noticing your company

• Your employees love coming to work

• Your company’s vision is getting closer

Non-measurable Data:

Data is big right now. We have the tools to measure things, so we want to know how our efforts translate. Culture can be measured as well. But there’s also

the softer, unmeasurable side that will always be important.

Sometimes you don’t have a percentage or a number that shows how much your team likes working together.

Ask yourself this: Would your people keep working

if they won the lottery?“Money motivates neither the best people, nor

the best in people. It can move the body and influence the mind, but it cannot touch the

heart or move the spirit; that is reserved for belief, principle, and morality.”

— Dee Hock

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