Finally, some culture!

You’re in some rarefied air, my friend! Your company boasts a culture that is a shining example of what people today get excited about. Candidates recognize your efforts and are drawn to a well-established culture. You have a clear mission that your people are passionate about. Your core values are definitive and are shared by everyone within your organization. Those values permeate everything you do. And because you’ve built a culture like this, a culture that modern employees seek out for themselves, you’re positioned well in the new recruitment landscape.

If we step into a way-way back machine and use Don Draper’s Madison Avenue ad agency as a reference for a toxic, monochrome, corrupt culture that only prioritizes self-interest and cynical profit-seeking, then your culture stands out as the categorical opposite. Your employees conduct themselves with integrity. They value passion and purpose over perks. They see themselves reflected back at them in the make-up of your workforce and the work they do every day. And there is an elevated sense at every level that you stand for something greater than your company.

It’s impressive work, and work that you can’t let slip. It requires constant time, attention, communication, and nurturing, on the part of leadership and your teams overall.

While you’ve got such a great handle on things, it never hurts to always be mindful of potential red flags, such as:

  • Lack of integrity
  • Inflexibility (“my way or the highway” thinking)
  • Poor communication
  • Fear-based/intimidation-style leadership
  • Lack of transparency
  • People thinking they know everything
  • Taking sole credit for team projects
  • Micromanagement

If any of these things begin to rear their heads, it’s critical to address and eliminate them right away. That might mean taking an introspective look at your leadership style. It also might mean making some strategic layoffs that reinforce what your company values and ultimately strengthen your culture by setting an example that’s based on trust, credibility, and shared purpose. There’s never a bad time to work on your company culture, but it is always a bad time to neglect it. Smart fires are just as important as good hires.

To learn about the culture-building and new recruitment strategies that John W. Mitchell uses to create thriving company cultures, take a look inside his book, Fire Your Hiring Habits!: Building an Environment that Attracts Top Talent in Today’s Workforce.

Invite John to come speak with your company or leadership team to gain more specific information on how your company can continue to offer the best environment for its most valuable asset—its people. Reach out today!

To stay up to date on the latest thoughts surrounding what it takes to build and sustain healthy and inclusive company cultures, get connected with John on Twitter, and LinkedIn!