3 Ways To Know If Your Business Has A Great Culture

I feel pretty confident in saying that no business owner wants to have a bad culture in their business.  There are, however, a lot of business owners that don’t put a lot of thought into their culture which can then lead to a less than desirable culture evolving in their business over time.  Do you have a great culture? How do you truly know?   I have identified three specific areas that you can look at to assess where your business’ culture is at.

Culture is important.  Most of us spend the majority of our lives at work.  It makes sense that you would want to work in an environment that is positive and uplifting while also demanding.  A business owner or leader has the ability to set the tone for what that culture will be that people work in.  If you wonder if culture can really affect performance, look no further than the sports world for evidence.  Ever seen a team perform better and the only thing that really changed was the coach?  I know I have and what gets changed is the culture of the organization.

Let’s go back to the three ways to assess the culture of your business.

1. Are You Living Your Values?-  Remember your values?  Those set of principles that you put together at a seminar ten years ago and haven’t looked at since?  Yes those values.  A business with a great culture has clearly defined values that their business lives by.  These values affect the way that people work and how things happen.  A great leader not only creates values for their business but finds ways to communicate and live those values daily.
2. Open and Effective Communication– I once heard a quote that culture is created through conversation.  How true is that?  Take a look at your culture.  Do people speak well of each other?  Do people gossip?  Do people talk to each other in a supportive manner?  Do you, as the leader, have a healthy communication style that includes positive confrontation as well as feedback on how they are doing?  All of these things are crucial to a winning culture and communication is at the center of all of it.
3. High Level Of Teamwork-  A great team helps people on their team be right not wrong.  How refreshing is that?  Imagine a team where, instead of pointing out your faults or telling you why you aren’t qualified to do something, they supported you and helped you do the best job you possibly could.  Great teams do that.  Great teamwork comes from a great culture.  If you are concerned with the teamwork in your business, ask yourself what you are doing to create a collaborative environment.

If you haven’t noticed a theme here, it’s that creating a great culture starts and ends with great leadership and that great leadership comes from you.  It’s not about having enough time or the right system.  It’s about being intentional with what happens in your business and surrounding yourself with great people.

If creating a great culture is important to you and you are looking to take your business to the next level, take our business assessment  to see where you are at and where you can improve.