{"id":53850,"date":"2022-08-29T02:58:49","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T07:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/?p=53850"},"modified":"2022-10-03T13:35:03","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T18:35:03","slug":"4-reasons-company-culture-is-essential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/4-reasons-company-culture-is-essential\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Reasons Company Culture Is Essential"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some business leaders are dismissive of culture. They might think it seems soft or unnecessary. Others think of it like flossing\u2014something they know they should do and plan to get to eventually, just not today. Or they view it like the weather, as something they know exists and must be taken into consideration, but that lies outside their control. I\u2019ve even met business leaders who feel like they\u2019re a victim of their own culture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture matters. And any leader can work to create an amazing culture on their team. You have to start by understanding that culture exists. Anywhere you have a group of people, there\u2019s a culture. You have a culture in your family, in your marriage, and among your friends. Your company has a culture, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture is the way we reliably engage with our work and one another, determined by a set of shared values and behavioral norms that reliably drives operating results and employee satisfaction. There\u2019s a relationship between operating results and employee satisfaction. When your team enjoys their work and feels like they\u2019re contributing to something bigger than themselves, they produce better results. You directly benefit from a thriving culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get more specific. Culture is essential for four reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture Creates Felt Safety<\/span><\/h4>\n

Business owners feel safe when they\u2019re generating revenue and have money in the bank. But teams feel safe when they have set expectations and boundaries. They feel safe when they have clarity about what they need to accomplish and how others will interact with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

I once worked for a boss who was volatile and had a lot of unspoken expectations. It was not a good combination. I felt like I was throwing darts blindfolded. A good day was one when I wasn\u2019t getting yelled at. As a result, I didn\u2019t play to win. I played <\/span>not to lose. <\/span><\/i>That\u2019s what a culture of fear does: it narrows your team\u2019s focus to simply surviving. You can\u2019t thrive when you\u2019re just trying to survive.<\/span><\/p>\n

When your team feels forced into a position of self-protection, they won\u2019t take the risks essential to innovation and creativity. They won\u2019t think outside the box. Fear and exploration are mutually exclusive. Without access to your team\u2019s best thinking, your operating results will suffer.<\/span><\/p>\n

One incredibly effective way to eliminate fear in your organization is to decriminalize failure. If failure is catastrophic, it will make everyone nervous all the time. Extending permission to fail makes it possible to try new things and achieve huge wins, even if they come with some losses. In the long run, the wins will far outweigh the losses. In the words of John Maxwell, \u201c<\/span>Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn.<\/span><\/a>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture Enables a Sense of Congruence<\/span><\/h4>\n

Congruence means that two things line up. And it\u2019s becoming incredibly common for people to want their personal values to align with the values of their company. They don\u2019t want to experience the cognitive dissonance that happens when the two are out of alignment.<\/span><\/p>\n

That means your culture needs to resonate with <\/span>the kind of people you want to attract<\/span><\/a>. When people feel like they belong, like they\u2019ve found their tribe, they\u2019ll bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creating a sense of congruence requires fighting the temptation to set values that are common or innocuous. Your values should take a stance. They should be defined and specific. They should push people toward a moment of decision. If they opt out, they probably weren\u2019t a good fit. But if they opt in, you\u2019ll have a team who is excited to work for you and with one another. That level of enthusiasm leads to far greater outcomes for your company.<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture Calls Out the Best<\/span><\/h4>\n

Culture calls us to a standard. It challenges us to reach for the best of ourselves individually and as a team. Without something to reach for, we operate on autopilot. Our behavior and ambition can go sideways. When we have a standard to aspire to, we have to work to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

One thing that makes masterminds or coaching programs so powerful is being surrounded by others who are pursuing growth and want to develop to their full potential. That\u2019s the kind of culture you want to create at your company. A-players bring out the best in others. They attract other A-players. And when you have a team full of A-players, retaining your team becomes a lot easier. Once you\u2019ve played with the best, you never want to go back to mediocrity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture Flags Drift Quickly<\/span><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s natural to drift to what feels comfortable or easy. We\u2019re human. But when we\u2019re drifting, we don\u2019t show up in the world in the way we want to. We don\u2019t drift to places we would choose. Defining clear standards for who we are and how we will act together makes it obvious where there is a gap.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those gaps are part of the journey. We won\u2019t get it right all of the time. But when our missteps are obvious, we can course-correct and move forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine the field of your favorite sport. It has boundaries. Those <\/span>boundaries matter<\/span><\/a>, because they make the game easier to play. They keep the ball moving down the field. Specific values flag behavior that\u2019s out of bounds, keeping you from ending up in a situation where you say one thing and do another.<\/span><\/p>\n

Misalignment between what we claim to value and the way we actually behave sows cynicism and disillusionment. There\u2019s nothing more toxic to your culture. Your team will feel they don\u2019t know who they can trust. They don\u2019t know what\u2019s required. They\u2019ll play it safe. They\u2019ll do the minimum required of them. And, sooner than later, they\u2019ll leave.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bottom line: culture is a growth strategy for your business. It\u2019s among the most underutilized. And as a leader, it\u2019s your job to learn how to leverage this tool. To identify your next steps, read \u201c<\/span>The Recipe for a Thriving Culture<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Culture is a growth strategy, but it\u2019s among the most underutilized. Here are 4 reasons it’s essential to intentionally develop culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":53851,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1726,483,34],"tags":[194,1525,91,13,117,38,82,296,122],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4 Reasons Company Culture Is Essential | Full Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Culture is a growth strategy, but it\u2019s among the most underutilized. 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