How to Build a Strong Company Culture

By Tamiera Vandegrift on June 28, 2018

If you ask any working individual what they consider to be the top three most important aspects of a company, the company culture is bound to be among the top answers. But, what is company culture?

Entrepreneur Magazine defines company culture as, “the everyday reality of organizational life. It is not the mission statement, [the] balance sheets or even the employee handbook alone. The culture is what [companies] do, what [they] say, the way [they] behave, the way [they] treat each other, [their] products, customers, communities and themselves.”

With that being said, the company culture is extremely important to the health and success of the business itself. According to a survey of hundreds of companies across the globe, roughly 80% of them believe that a company without a strong, successful company culture will not be successful. So, how does such a pivotal component of a company’s creation come to be?

Company culture certainly isn’t created overnight. It is forged through the identification of core values and beliefs before being enforced by a team of like-minded individuals. Company culture goes beyond monthly potluck dinner parties and a corporate fitness center (even though those things are both very wonderful!). How can business owners strive to create a strong, lasting company culture? Keep reading for some steps to get started:

business, company, coworkers, woman, working

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Step One: Identify the Purpose 

Everything worthwhile begins with a purpose. Some companies yearn to create the best digital content, while others work hard to change the lives of other people. The strongest foundation of any company culture is purpose. Before you go on to decide what your company culture should look like, you must ask yourself what purpose your company seeks to serve.

Every company in the history of time was created to address a need, a need that its founders felt had yet to be met. This purpose goes beyond something simple, such as earning capital or eliminating competition. Search deep within yourself and the objectives of the company to find a purpose that is original, authentic, and human.

Step Two: Discover your values 

Now that you have identified the underlying purpose of your company, the next step is identifying the values that will help your company fulfill this purpose. What attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors do you believe would take your company down the road to success? Do you believe that a fast-paced environment is the best way to be productive and efficient? Do you prefer a more relaxed approach to getting things done?

These values must be cohesive and respected by everyone within the company no matter what their position or workload is. Write your values down. Post them in a common area where every employee can see them and remember what their objective should be each day. The values of a company are the very backbone of company culture, so they should remain steadfast and firm.

Step Three: Lead the way (how can you set an example for everyone else?)

To create a strong, successful company culture, you must embody that culture yourself with everything you do professionally. Company culture is molded by the individuals who lead the way, so it is absolutely imperative that you lead with a strong example. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to repeat the employee handbook and mission statement verbatim, but you should be able to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

For instance, if you have decided that a “work hard, play hard” mentality is best for your company’s purpose, then you should exemplify that by demonstrating a healthy, productive work-life balance. When your fellow coworkers and teammates see how seriously you take the company culture, they will feel even more inspired to adopt those values into their daily lives as well.

desk, office, meeting, hands

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Step Four: Recruit similar minds 

Great minds think alike, so make sure that you recruit staff members that hold the same beliefs and values that you do. It might be tempting to hire carbon copies of yourself, but you should avoid this at all costs. Instead, discover what strengths and weaknesses exist within your company so far and go from there. For instance, if you value creativity, but lack an innovative spirit, look for an employee that will fill in those gaps. While you want to avoid a complete clone of yourself, you do not want to seek out employees who are complete opposites too. It is a risk to hire employees that do not line up with the company culture, a risk not worth taking.

Step Five: Learn and grow

The secret to any successful company is to avoid complacency. Never stop growing, learning, and seeking ways to improve. So, why should company culture be any different? With purpose, values, and employee reinforcement in place, company culture has an excellent, strong start. However, this isn’t the end of the journey. All companies will experience growing pains and the struggles of adaptation. It is up to you to make sure that this growth and change does not end up sacrificing your values.

Look back at companies like Apple and Virgin. What makes them so successful? Feel free to take inspiration from others, as long as you are staying true to your company’s individuality. Listen to feedback from coworkers and remember to put your teammates first above all. While you might find that your company has changed a little since the beginning, you don’t need to worry. As long as your company maintains its core values and keeps its purpose in mind, the company culture will remain alive and thrive.

 Remember that like anything worth doing, results might not come overnight. Company culture is something that will take a long time to construct, through trial and error, persistence, and hard work. Building a strong, successful company culture goes way further than business excursions and fun office events. A lasting company culture is one that unites an entire workforce together with the same purpose, where all parties are equally passionate and excited to make a change. There is no one-size-fits-all method for a successful company culture, but by following these steps, your company culture will have a strong first step.

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