11 Step Remedy for Company Culture Problems

“How do I create better culture in my company?” I’ve been asked that more than any other question this year. Here’s your short answer:

Feed the heart.

Complacency, lack of initiative, and poor judgment all stem from bad culture.

You might blame lazy employees and say, “I pay these people well! We have an awesome product at a competitive price! Why can’t my they see how good they have it?”

You’d be wrong and here’s why:

Money is a mind matter for your employees. Not a heart matter. Culture lives in the heart.

Money, shiny objects, and bribery will not fix a culture problem. If you want your employees to put more heart into their job, you have to give their job more heart.

Here are 11 Steps to Finding and Feeding your Company’s Heart:

1. 1. Think back to when you first got into this business? What convinced you that it was worth devoting a significant portion of your life to it? Write that down.
   2. When you look at your industry what pisses you off about the status quo? Write that down.
   3. When you close your eyes and imagine the perfect company, what does that look like? Write that down. (Be very specific on this one)
   4. What are you willing to sacrifice to get there? Write that down.
   5. What scares you about the way you are doing business now? Write that down.
   6. Pull your team together, share with them your most authentic story, most vivid visions, and most vulnerable fears. Does this feel uncomfortable to you? Good. It should! Your vulnerability is what will allow your team to connect with you as a real person.
   7. Watch this video, then this video.
   8. Follow Simon and Roy’s process to create a set of succinct “we believe” statements.
   9. Once a week gather your team and re-share a part of your story with them, present or historical. Talk about how this plays into your company today. Stories feed the heart.
   10. In that same meeting, put your “we believe” statements on a screen and let everyone take a turn reading one around the room until you’ve gone through them all.
   11. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Forever.

Disclaimer:

The longer your business has gone without doing this the weirder it’s going to feel for you and everyone. Not everyone will buy in, and some may not be with you long. THAT IS OKAY! Good culture does not allow one person to negatively affect others. Remember the perfect company you imagined in step three!

Follow this process, live out your beliefs and I guarantee you’ll wake to a vastly better workplace very soon.

Cheers,

BW