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A powerful company culture is key to the success of any company. When employees feel glad, valued and supported, they develop a deep sense of loyalty that drives each individual and collective success.
Over the course of my profession, I built two successful corporations from scratch – an award-winning music and audio company in an industry that wasn’t particularly welcoming to female founders, and a successful production company with a partner. Both corporations have earned reputations for exceptional talent and creativity, in addition to unique company cultures.
Interestingly, culture was never something I intentionally created. This has turn out to be a natural by-product of how I lead and lead my teams. This got me considering about how great cultures are created, and one thing I’ve learned is that positive culture is not born from the days of pizza or taco trucks.
1. Work as hard or harder than you expect others to do
As an owner or manager, people watch and follow your lead, so communicate clearly. As owners, we took out the garbage and washed the dishes. We desired to make it clear that we were never higher than any task, and doing these little things eliminated the “it’s not my job” grumbles from the staff because all of us participated in each the big and small things.
2. Nobody has what it takes to be a business owner, so don’t expect it from them
Until they do it themselves, you should not blame others for not understanding or empathizing with what you are going through. You took a risk and it’s hard, but as an owner, no one needs to listen to how much money you lost this month or how much you worked. Your job is to encourage.
3. Everyone gets wings and a safety net
To grow, people must feel protected enough to make mistakes. No one ever gets into trouble for doing something if his heart is in the right place. Hire people you trust and don’t micromanage them.
We had an worker who showed great interest in running our social media. It was something I had fastidiously prepared, but it was also something I was running out of time for, so I gave it to her. She had exciting and progressive ideas, resembling the article “Women Who Inspire Wednesday”, inspired by being owned by a woman.
She created a dynamic and incredibly cool look and feel for the company. If I had been micromanaging her, I might have tried to rein in her ideas, but trusting that she understood the company culture and gave her freedom, she created value through social media and our experience skyrocketed.
4. See the value of others
Ask your team members how they are doing and they really care about the answer. See them, appreciate them and consider their opinions. Your employees will have ideas and opinions, so be open to hearing them and if they’re great, make them actionable. Some of the best progress in my company has been achieved by implementing our employees’ ideas.
5. Encourage growth from inside
Create opportunities for those that earn them. Training people and teaching them in latest roles may take more work, but it is vital for people to see that arduous work, creativity and dedication repay.
We had an worker in Los Angeles who had been with us since she graduated from college. She climbed the ladder from customer support and reception to production. We were opening a studio in New York and she expressed great interest in moving to New York and running the studio. She was young, not yet 30, but she was so determined that we decided to take the risk.
As a New York studio EP, she has enabled exceptional growth. She doubled her bills inside a yr, hiring and managing staff – every thing we supported her with, in fact, but she was an absolute star. We couldn’t hire someone from the outside who knew the company culture in addition to she did and could translate that into billing in a latest market across the country.
6. Avoid fostering competition on your team
The outside world is difficult enough; we must always all the time support each other internally. At my music and audio company, everyone from sound mixers and support staff to clients shared meals in the kitchen. This shared space fostered a real sense of community, allowing customers to attach with the entire team, not only the mixer they happened to be working with that day.
As a result, customers felt comfortable with everyone, making them more more likely to stay with us even if their preferred mixer was unavailable. This confidence also reassured mixers, knowing that keeping projects in-house meant future work would follow. The basis of success is a culture of enthusiastic cooperation.
7. Mediate only when you have to
Not everyone will get along all the time, and that is okay. Listen to either side and see if they will solve the problem independently. If they cannot, step in before it goes too far and they cause resentment or create teams against each other. When someone on your team gets toxic energy, it kills the atmosphere; there is no room for ego, negativity and entitlement. If and when the remainder of the team sees that you just stop this behavior, they’ll understand what you’ll and is not going to accept.
8. It’s a very delicate matter when people ask for a raise
They ask for what they think they are value, and sometimes the desired amount and the position they are in have no relationship. Someone asked us for a 75% raise because she felt she deserved it.
Be honest but kind in your answer – even if it’s absurd.
9. It’s okay to be vulnerable when loss happens, whether it’s an worker or a customer
When we lost an essential member of our team, I was devastated. I cried when I had to inform the staff, letting them know that I had done every thing I could, but I couldn’t keep him there. Leading with my sensitivity was difficult, but then the most beautiful and amazing thing happened.
One of the employees stood up and hugged me, and everyone followed me and assured me that every thing can be fantastic. I still cry when I think about it because it was the most sincere and beautiful expression of support at a time when I really needed it.
10. Buy a cake
Celebrate wins, holidays and birthdays in a way that inspires camaraderie: dinners, bowling, live shows, anything that brings you all together. Be pleased with your team’s achievements and share them with them. It’s value spending the money and it is vital to have fun. (*10*) together creates a real bond.
We have had an incredible worker retention rate, with many team members staying with us for over a decade, and this is truly because of some quite simple ideals. Lead by example and all the time be honest. Listen with intention and create a supportive environment where people feel empowered to grow and take on latest challenges. Remember that their success is your success.