A company is built by the people you have employed – not marketing strategies, not by replicating what the forex company next door does, and usually not by sponsoring racecars. The name of the game is all about the people you hire and the culture you create.
Creating a robust and successful culture is not just for show, nor is it some buzzword individuals use to make a firm appear like some phantasmal construct. A rich culture can make or break your business, and companies with strong traditions routinely outperform their competitors – some studies even report that there are differences in productivity quantified at 200% or more (Now, I don’t have a source for this study & HAS NO BACKING TO THE FACT though it sounds good to me, but I digress).
How To Build Your Dream Team
The problem that arises for most companies is finding employees that fit your system, are compatible, and most importantly are able to comply with the existing culture. To be truly great and achieve results, your organization needs to find its niche within the industry – so for starters, it would be prudent to decide what exactly that should be. There certainly is not a linear path towards success, but being able to lead everyone towards the desired goal is what can really set you apart!
Three Step Plan To Creating A Winning Culture:
1. Make Your Culture Fit You:
At first glance this seems like a rather selfish commentary, however successful people know what they want. I do what fits my values and goals and I know what it takes to makes a successful work environment in my industry. Generally, we hear several phrases or trends all the time, namely “create fun and a little weirdness”. I get it…but really, when you walk into the office it looks like a game room for teenagers with workers dressing for comfort rather than style.
Certainty on a more isolated scale this is quite commonplace in virtually every office – the cubicle peppered with decorations or slogans with some silly theme (often enigmatic to others), or the token stuffed animal hanging all over the place with some cute name like Mittens…that’s not my style.
Find Your Style, Whatever That May Be
A good example to serve as inspiration or an industry paradigm is one that virtually everyone on the planet with a computer is familiar with, Google. Google is truly a powerhouse company in its own right, one that definitely knows a thing or two about company culture, and who routinely is known for their outrageously entertaining offices. Whether this means bringing your skateboard to a board meeting or going down a slide from the second floor, Google is in so many words, a unique experience to behold. They have game rooms with ping-pong, guitar hero, and countless other treats for their employees, which creates incentives and in turn (most importantly for those that are still thinking about the prospect of ping-pong or guitar hero at work) a happier AND healthier work place. In a creative industry that hinges on innovation, this certainly works for them and they have thrived, often scoring as a top company to work for in the United States.
However, this example would never work for or me – when clients come to visit, I don’t want my employees pressing the pause button on their video games so they can come greet the customer. Call me old fashioned but this seems slightly unprofessional to me. Herein lies the fundamental realization I touched on earlier – this type of behavior or structure does not work for my culture or me, the square peg in round hole analogy comes to mind. The main goal here is that you have to find your place and drive hard for a thriving employee atmosphere.
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