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Traction Inc.

15 Jul 5 Signs that You Have a Great Company Culture

Posted at 1:00:00 PM by Chris Hallberg

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You probably spend most of your waking hours at your workplace, but if that workplace is negative, it creates a toxic environment and a place you won't enjoy being, while also harming overall productivity of the team. However, if that workplace is positive and full of integrity, your vision and the vision of all those involved will soar and your workplace will become an enviable place to be while you watch the company grow and flourish.

Here are several signs of a great company culture

There are plenty of signs that are a reflection of a company with a positive culture and one that's continually encouraged and nurtured as the gift that it is. Here are a few examples:

  • People come in to work on Mondays smiling and eager to get started versus acting miserable because they have to be there.
  • Employees choose to spend time together outside of the office.
  • Employee turnover is low -learn more about industry average employee turnover rates and to see where your company stands.
  • Creativity is encouraged. People work better and are more eager to take ownership in their roles when their opinions, ideas and innovative solutions are welcomed and encouraged.
  • You have people anxiously waiting to join your team.
  • Leaders are not insecure and don't worry about their team members taking their jobs.
  • People are continually encouraging each other and they work well as a team.

Behaviors That Should Be Encouraged

If you want to encourage a positive company culture, there are several things you can do to inspire and encourage your team to take part. And you can begin by letting your employees know that presenting new ideas and innovative ways of getting things done is an acceptable practice and one that is highly encouraged. Many times an employee might have a great idea that could make a significant difference in your bottom line. However, they keep quiet about it because they fear they might jeopardize their job if leadership feels threatened by their initiative.

Another thing that should be encouraged and rewarded is a positive attitude. The theory is: "Recognize what you want repeated." Recognizing a wanted behavior is the best way to make sure it's repeated. The other team members will see this and follow suit.

Clear, concise communication is another huge asset to any company. When those at the top clearly communicate the company's objectives, promotions, etc. with the team rather than having them find out from a television commercial, print ad or word of mouth, which by the time a word of mouth objective comes around it's usually unrecognizable because each person will interpret it differently and that's not what you want.

Here are several signs your company culture is in trouble

Anytime you go into an office, there are several signs that could be a clear indication that the company culture is not a positive one. Any of these signs unto themselves doesn't necessarily indicate a problem. However, if you see three, four or more, your company culture might need some work.

  • The office is always messy. This is an indication that your employees don't care enough to take the initiative to keep it clean.
  • No one is talking positively about how great the company is.
  • Gossip is rampant.
  • All the employees work under a shadow of fear.
  • The leaders always make the task more important than the team.
  • No one is smiling and your employees are out the door the minute it's quitting time.
  • You can feel the negative energy as you walk through the office.
  • You have to bribe your employees with perks and other incentives just to get things done.

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The One Thing That Could Make or Break Your Company Culture

The hiring process is probably the most important part of the job. If you don't hire the right people, you have a greater chance of failure because negativity is like a virus. It tends to spread until it has infected the entire team. Therefore, you need to hire people whose values are aligned with your company's values. You also have to hire the right attitude. In most cases, attitude is not something you can teach. Either someone has a good attitude and a positive outlook on life or they don't. You usually can't take someone with a negative attitude and teach them how to be positive and poof they are magically transformed. It would be great if it worked that way, but that's not usually the case. If it was, we would all have perfect employees.

Which picture best describes your company culture? If your company culture has gone awry, has become stagnant or your team seems to have hit a plateau, then it might be time to bring in a small business coach to look at your company from a different perspective and make recommendations that could help take your business to the next level. Or to give your team some much needed training to help them reach their goals, as well as yours.

If you would like more information about hiring a small business coach, contact us today for a free business coaching quote and to see how the entrepreneurial operating system can help you build a successful business today.

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The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) was created by Gino Wickman (Author of Traction-get a grip on your business) and is a registered trademark of EOS Worlwide. Chris Hallberg of Traction Inc. is a Certified EOS Implementer(tm) that helps business owners and their leadership teams get more of what they want from their business.

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