Tips for Defining Your Unique Corporate Culture
by: Jay Newkirk
A lot of people, blogs, and articles talk about “corporate culture.” Is it just a buzzword or are people actually living it? We are not here to tell you to make game rooms and incorporate flexible hours and work-from-home Fridays into your culture, if that’s not what you’re actually about. We are here to tell you the little-known secret about a truly successful corporate culture that keeps employees happy, engaged, and loving to come to work: sincerity. If YOU believe in and truly want a corporate culture built on collaboration and shared objectives, others will, too. If you’re just putting in the latest shiny object, but the spirit of collaboration, authenticity, and respect isn’t there, your employees (and customers!) will know that you don’t actually care about them and where they are going. That said, here are the top tips for developing a collaborative and successful corporate culture: 1. Know who you are and where you’re going. Have well-thought-out vision and mission statements and share them with your staff.
2. Remember that your organization’s culture is a reflection of “who you are,” including your values, your focus, and your life’s ultimate objectives—your dreams. 3. In other words, you can’t build a corporate culture that’s not an extension of your beliefs and your personal desire for how the world views you. In fact, that is a very important point for creating your organization’s culture. Consider how you perceive the world perceives you, the world being your employees, your customers, your banker, your competition, etc.
