1. Why?
Why would people want to work at your Company?
- Got the best product or service in the world? Great! Without a good company culture, you’ll have a hard time finding great employees to help you fulfill your mission and grow.
- Being a great place to work, saves you money on recruiting, onboarding, training, turnover, etc. It is your best recruiting tool.
- Think of all the components that go into making a binge-worthy Netflix show (characters, plot, cinematography). Do the same for your company. Click to create a compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP) for your company.
2. humanity
yOur employees are people not numbers. What do they need to thrive?
- You can’t crunch people like you can numbers. But you can crush them. Lead beyond the spreadsheet, taking into account how decisions will impact your people and culture.
- Only when people’s most basic needs are met can they reach their full potential of things like creativity, innovation – all the things employers want to help their company succeed (check out Maslow’s hierarchy of need).
- Examples: Ritual Zero Proof provides health stipends, Purely Elizabeth offers summer ½ day Fridays and office closure between Christmas and New Years, personal outreaches really make a difference, #kudos Slack channel, etc.
3. Positive Energy
Is your team allowed to be themselves, or are they checking their souls at the door?
- People need play to learn and thrive. This is also how people connect with each other and build solidarity.
- In order for this to happen, people need to feel they can show up as their authentic selves without fear of retribution or judgement. Part of this is creating an environment where mistakes are okay. As long as there’s learning, they can be a gift. People need wiggle room.
- Positivity and play are contagious (in a good way)!
4. Transparency
Does your team have the information needed?
- When people are empowered with information, it organically changes their decision-making process. For example, when employees understand the financials, they can better understand how their contributions or individual choices affect the bottom line.
- Empower people with the winning trifecta: Transparency, Autonomy and Accountability.
- Back this up with education (ie financial literacy) to help people be part of creating success.
5. Collaborative Mindset
How can all employees be heard and valued?
- People need to know their voice is heard and their input matters, and that they can speak up without fear of retribution.
- One powerful way to do this is by creating feedback loops in all directions. Take in what’s shared, and then act on it (or communicate why you are not acting on it).
- It comes down to one simple question: “What do you think?” to tap into people’s brainpower.
6. Developing People
“You can’t give birth to an adult.” (Brian Smith, founder of Ugg)
- Hire for passion, train for skill. Developing employees can take time, but it will make your business better overall (plus, learning is one of the reasons people want from a job).
- “Hire slow”, yes. But don’t “fire fast.” If an employee is struggling in their job, it may not be them. It may be a lack of tools, training, leadership, direction, etc. What do they need to succeed for your company? With the right mix, they may end up being your best employee!
- Remember, if you don’t water your plants, or give them the right amount of sunlight, they wilt.
7. Self Care
How is your energy setting the tone?
- Balancing all the priorities can be so hard. How are you taking care of yourself so you can show up for your work and your team?
- What wake up calls are knocking at your door that you need to pay attention to now?
- What do you need so that you can show up with your best energy?
