Seven things you can do right now that that will make the leap from surviving to thriving:
1. Be an example of strong values and ethics. Practice what you preach. When management creates company policy, and then fails to uphold and abide those policies, it sends a poor message to the workforce and will eventually undermine any effort to create a healthy culture. Be conscious and aware of the consequences of your actions.
2. Create an environment that supports a clear line of communication throughout the organization. Be approachable. Collaborate. Encourage teamwork. Teamwork isn’t just about cooperation; it’s also about competition. Competition promotes innovation, innovation challenges the individual, and a challenged individual will produce more, and be proud of it.
3. Empower employees so they can empower themselves. Encourage them to make and execute good decisions. Let them know what you expect and that they’ll be held accountable for their responsibilities and the decisions they make. Reward them for their successes and help them to learn from their failures.
4. Deliver on promises. Remember your presentation that brought the company to their feet in anticipation of improved company policy, benefits, etc.? It may have calmed the horses for the time being, but there has to be timely action. Promises left unfulfilled will only help to deteriorate employee morale, which has a direct relationship to decreased productivity.
5. Be honest. Trust comes from honesty. Have the willingness and consideration to do the same that you expect from your employees. Mutual respect for one-another goes a long way. As Southwest Airlines so plainly puts it, ‘Follow the Golden Rule.’
6. Lose the ego. There really isn’t a place in your company for your ego, or anyone else’s for that matter. Egos left unchecked will only damage what has taken so long and so much effort to build: your company. Create an environment that fosters acceptance of responsibility for ones own actions.
7. Hire wisely. I remember a scene in a movie where an old Knight is telling the bad guy who is about to choose a cup…. “Choose Wisely.” You may not get a second chance for making the wrong decision.
Attitude is key, aptitude is secondary; you can’t teach attitude and belief systems. Get the right people in the right positions. Marty Nemko, in a US News & World Report article wrote, “Hiring the wrong person may cost you more than you might think.”
Measurable Results
Applying these seven strategies (or at least some of them), will improve productivity and strengthen cohesiveness among employees. You’ll attract a higher quality workforce and have an increased percentage of employee retention.
Having a clearer picture of company direction and focus will also enable your employees to achieve company goals. All of which will contribute to a more profitable company. Of course, it won’t happen over night, but it will happen. Invest in your company culture, after all, if you don’t do it, who will?
It’s a great day when everyone in your company shares the same ideas about what’s important.
