Building a Corporate Culture That Works

Does it Make Sense for Your Company to Create a Kind Culture? The answer is yes. Just ask Google, Facebook, Amazon and any other company you consult with and they’ll all say yes. It’s no secret that creating a kind culture means that the employees are valued, treated respectfully and given a clear path to achieve their goals. But how do you create that kind culture?

Most companies have a kind culture, but it’s kind of hidden. They don’t advertise it. And it’s not something that they promote. This is because such a kind culture is a result of policies and practices that employees themselves create, which in turn creates a culture.

There are many ideas for creating a kind culture. For example, what about a business where your salespeople are encouraged to actively engage with customers in some way – by asking them questions, giving them advice, sharing expertise? Or what about a business where your office staffs are encouraged to be forthcoming with clients – not just with cold business but with warm personal contact? How about a culture where your workers enjoy a strong work-life balance, and one in which people are encouraged to be good at “doing the small things” – showing up on time, doing the things that make a difference? Such a culture would naturally encourage employees to do those kinds of things.

But those kinds of explanations only go so far. What if your company is a company that provides services to a global clientele? If that’s the case, then every detail counts. The most effective kind culture is a culture that’s built on trust, integrity and respect. There needs to be a system of internal reporting – a system that can warn its employees if they’re performing unsatisfactory work, and that can discipline them accordingly.

A big part of that kind of culture is making sure that all employees feel like they can talk to their supervisors or managers and find out what they think. This is what I mean by encouraging “doing the small things.” By regularly doing the little things – paying attention to your employees, making sure they’re wearing their proper attire, offering sensible suggestions when their performance leaves something to be desired – you can begin to build a stronger sense of trust within your organization.

All of this sounds like common sense. So why is it sometimes challenging for businesses to create such a kind culture? Part of the problem has to do with human nature. People like to talk about themselves, especially to those who’ve come to their company with certain expectations or goals. Creating a kind culture from the ground up is almost certainly going to take a significant amount of time and effort – but it will also make a tremendous difference in the way that your business runs.