What culture should we foster inside a business organisation?
A culture of reflection, action, results, and learning. A culture that evolves and is shared between all key members of the team.
5 mins read
Text: Luis Lara
What culture should we foster inside a business organisation?
A culture of reflection, action, results, and learning. A culture that evolves and is shared between all key members of the team.
5 mins read
Text: Luis Lara
It can be said that the “day 1 mentality” is a fundamental part of what we call a company’s “ambition”. In a successful company, the founders and shareholders must harbour this ambition. However, it will only be successful if it is fostered throughout the organization and shared by all the company’s employees in the form of what we know as “culture”.
This ambition-culture alliance is the real “engine” that makes things happen in a company. If it doesn’t work, nothing will. Radical? Yes. We might have the best market strategies, yet ambition and culture will swallow them whole every day. In the world of retail, it is very common to see strategists “say” one thing in the head office, while in shops and offices, the reality is very different. This is because of the culture: not every employee at every level “believes” in the words being said.
If culture is so crucial to a company’s success, what do we need to do? A robust culture should be:
A shared culture
All employees share the same set of values, speak the same language, and there is consensus regarding the company’s ambition and business model.
A culture of reflection
Most companies spend little time thinking, more time managing and executing. However, without reflection, there is no opportunity to learn and therefore a tendency to repeat the same mistakes.
A culture of action
We must inspire our teams to act, make decisions, take risks, and accept mistakes. We will always miss 100% of the shots we don’t take.
A culture of results
Let’s think like athletes and set the bar high. Let’s be exact and measure and publish results. We should be clear about the consequences (positive or negative) of reaching our goals for the whole team.
A culture of learning
Winners are often humble because, first and foremost, they don’t believe they already know everything. They are always willing to learn and believe they can always do better and grow.
A culture that evolves
Culture is key to success and failure. However, it is difficult to change because doing so requires changing the attitudes and behaviour of tens, hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of people. However, changing and adapting culture cannot and should not be avoided or evaded.
A culture that is fostered
For a successful culture to thrive, you must work to foster it. Every day, cultures emerge that act as “snipers”, ready to shoot down company culture. Fostering and adapting our culture need to be key items on the agenda, for all of us who work in the company.
