Do you know your corporate culture?

If you are like me, then you certainly do.  You also are involved in doing what makes your company great, not sitting back and watch (oh, wait- “manage”) what others do.  (You may want to refer back to yesterday’s post about leadership development.)

We insure that everyone knows that what they do makes the difference; their efforts are the difference between profits and loss; and that those profits are shared with them, in terms of higher wages and/or bonuses.

(I admit that our firms have been relying on bonuses way more over the past three years.  We are scared stiff about the shaky economy and worry about changing our breakeven points.  So, we have been offering bonuses to our better performers; not once a year, but more frequently.  And, letting them know why we’ve changed this policy.  One really big plus resulting from this change has been the more immediate feedback of a timely bonus, rather than an annual salary review.)

We need to make sure that each of our managers know our mission and vision (live our mission and vision is more like it).  They understand how these morés make the difference in our sales and profits. That they share this with everyone in their teams.

Our buy-in doesn’t only involve their minds- it involves their hearts.  It’s not just money (oh, we know that’s important, especially in shaky economies), but the stuff that makes them want to stick around and help us grow our company and fulfill our vision.

They need to know why we exist as a business.  What would be different in this world if we weren’t here tomorrow. What makes our company stand out from everyone else in our business segment(s).  How our clients/customers benefit from our services and products.

To be honest, we over-communicate our mission.  At least, when compared to others like us.  Because it is critical that our folks know and live our story.  To develop new stories that add great chapters to our book.  Because that speaks volumes to and brings results for our stakeholders.

What about you?

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