We recently held a workshop in Amsterdam on Bringing Corporate Culture to Life in Reporting where we took the opportunity to ask this question to representatives from over 25 international companies such as ABN Amro, Aegon, ING and NN Group. Culture seems to be the hottest trend in business today, and, for good reason, one of the most important words in corporate board rooms. With trust in business at an all-time low, culture, engagement and employee retention are now top challenges facing business leaders. So when we asked the question, 'If you were CEO for the day what are the five most important things you would do to drive a positive culture to support of long term value creation?’, although there were many different views of what exactly culture is, the views were surprisingly similar and I was inspired by the enthusiasm, personal experiences and stories shared. Here’s the top 5 drivers of a positive culture: Lead by example Every day. Employees are constantly watching their leaders to see if what they do and say are the same. Walking the talk gains the trust and confidence of employees. 'Think of yourself as a parent', said one participant, because your behaviours and attitudes will be copied and shared throughout your organisation. If your actions are aligned with what you say, you become a person your employees want to follow. So don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk. Make it yours Every company has their own unique culture and it is important to take time to understand the one already in place. Sure, take inspiration from others - lots of it, but then make sure you step back, reflect and then do what is right for your organisation. Be genuine. Employees want to understand how they contribute to the long term success of the company. However, in order for them to be fully engaged they need to believe it. So make it meaningful, make it unique and ensure that it’s tied to your purpose, vision and values. The more employees understand the roles they play in a company’s success, the more engaged they will be. Communicate, communicate, communicate Internal communication needs to be at the top of the agenda. Use tools, like an intranet, to increase dialogue and engagement across the business. Make sure that you are consistently reminding people what they are aiming towards, bringing them together and creating a sense of coherence. Use your intranet as an opportunity to share knowledge, insights and updates but also don’t forget to ask questions, gather opinions and to recognise achievements. A fundamental truth about human nature is that most of us like to have the opportunity to express ourselves and be praised. In many companies everyday opportunities are overlooked. So ensure you think about putting the ability for greater engagement where it belongs, with your employees, so they feel they have a voice. Listen and learn Break down silos. Make sure you look across the entire organisation and define what it looks like from a variety of perspectives – sales, marketing, customer service, procurement, finance or by business division or geographical region. Ask yourself these questions, ‘how do you relate employees from these different perspectives? How do you motivate someone that does something completely different than you or is much older or younger than you? And what can you do to encourage employees to share their knowledge and work together? By listening to your people’s views you are able to make more insightful decisions. Celebrate and share Celebrate success. This injects life into your organisation, making it worthwhile for employees to contribute to the long term success of the company. Share both big and small achievements, it’s important to take the time to celebrate because acknowledging people’s hard work boosts morale and keeps up the momentum. Do it soon, make it public, be authentic. If you want something to grow, water it. And finally, remember company culture is not just created from the ‘tone at the top’. It must be shared, lived and developed through all the employees in a company. We all need to be sending the right signals - both through words and actions. Want to find out more? Join one of our upcoming events which explores this topic and many other in more detail: From passive to productive - the Future of intranets, with insights on communications solution for the modern workplace Bringing values to life through communications, with Rank Group, ODEON & UCI Cinemas and Amazon sharing their experiences Bringing corporate culture to life in reporting, with Deborah Gilshan, investor from RPMI Railpen sharing her views Looking forward to seeing you there. These are extremely captivating and challenging times for most companies. Everyone faces the same challenge: doing more with fewer resources. Furthermore most CEOs I meet want to manage their company in a positive and conversation-worthy way. Well, they want to, but they are often faced with the difficulty to get the momentum going and to align all collaborators. Evidently such challenges are not solved in a flash. My experience tells me that a company often feels that there is a new dynamic by changing several small aspects. After a captivating meeting I thought: what would I do if I were the CEO of a large company tomorrow? Not taking into account all important responsibilities and the time-consuming matters which fill a company leader's agenda, I would add these six things to my personal agenda: 1. Searching for small factors of irritation in my company 2. Random acts of kindness to top collaborators 3. Aligning internal and external communication Furthermore it seems like a great idea to change the classic patters of internal communication. A CEO usually sends a monthly update of the state of affairs. There is also a once-a-year speech to the staff, evaluating the past year and looking forward to the coming year. Why would we not change these fixed habits and send more regular updates and share knowledge with clients and collaborators more frequently? The practical elaboration is described further (see point 5). 4. Doing customer service towards some clients 5. Content: Managing my own blog and Twitter account 6. Frequently being present on the workfloor So just to be sure: I realise these things do not fill or determine a company strategy. I just consider it to be six minor tactical moves which may just have a major impact on the elaboration of the strategy. What do you think? Would you choose the same 5 minor changes, or would you choose a different path? I'm curious to read what you think! |