How to Build Your Business Culture

By Gavin Hutchinson.

Many companies toot their horns about what a great culture they have, but if you have to tell people you have a great culture you probably don't.

Your culture is something that is immediately obvious to people, whether that's your people, your customers or your suppliers.

When most companies first set out to improve their culture what do they do? They add a ping pong table, free food and drink, and maybe an on-site gym. The problem is that these things have nothing to do with culture. Most prisons have these, and the culture there isn't that great!

The thing about culture is that it's really, really hard, and culture doesn't get better with the more amenities you add.

Culture is about how people interact, and as a leader, I'm sure you've already learned that dealing with people can be challenging, whether it's staff, customers or suppliers.

People are messy (not literally, well sometimes). They have their own motivations and reasons for doing things, and guess what? Your priorities as a leader are not always their priorities! Shocking, I know. They all do things differently, think differently, and have different preferences, likes, opinions, and experiences. So, just when you think you've got it sorted, you find that the techniques that worked in the past for others are ineffective with someone else.

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to people.

So, how do you build a one-size-fits-all culture? Like I said, it's hard. You're in for a tough time. Everyone would have a great culture if it were as simple as buying a ping pong table. But the fact that it's hard is good news. If it were easy, everyone would do it.

Step 1: Decide what kind of company you want to run

As a leader, you get to make the decisions. You get to decide the culture you want and the kind of company you want to work in. Culture is not just about your staff. You might only have 1 or 2 employees but still

have a culture. Your culture will determine the type of customers you attract and influence how your suppliers treat you. This can take a lot of thinking and pondering. Don't expect to get it right straight away. You can always tweak it as you go along.

Step 2: Communicate your vision

Once you've decided on the type of company you want to build, you have to communicate it to people. A lot of companies choose to have a mission statement or values. Some companies have an onboarding handbook for new employees that explains the culture to them. Some companies record videos explaining their culture. Do whatever feels right. Don't feel you have to have a mission statement because that's what everyone else does. The way you communicate your culture will say a lot about your culture.

Step 3: Attract the right people

Once you're communicating out to the world then people who identify with your chosen culture will automatically be drawn to it. As humans, we like to deal with people who are similar to us. Ensure you explain your culture to potential new employees, customers and suppliers. This will have the added benefit of driving away people who are a poor fit for your company.

Step 4: Change

If you already have an existing culture (Top Tip: you do), then there will be some hard work to get from here to where you want to be. You will have to encourage the type of behaviour you want, discourage unwanted behaviour when you see it, and coach people to get in line with the changes.

Step 5: Let Go

Unfortunately, sometimes, some people are just a bad fit. We've all had bad-fit employees, bad-fit customers and bad-fit suppliers. We know they're a bad fit (sometimes from day one) and we just have to

decide to let them go if they can't be persuaded to change. There's nothing wrong with that; it's just how it is. Everyone will be much happier if they are in a culture that fits with their preferences.

To Wrap Up

Getting culture right is hard—lots and lots of hard work. But, the very essence of business is putting in hard work to get the rewards. There are many rewards for doing the hard work of developing your culture. Being a leader is challenging, but if you get your culture right, you'll have to do less leadership.

Culture is what people do when you're away. It's self-managing, and that's why bad cultures are devastating. Cultures encourage more

of the same behaviour; that's why it's so important to get it right.

It's like we always say at Quarterdeck: Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

Gavin started his training career over 25 years ago working in both the public and private sectors. Gavin is currently a Director of Quarterdeck (Quarterdeck.co.uk), a respected, renowned leadership and business training company based in the UK.

You can contact Gav at: [email protected]