McKinsey research shows that ‘organizations with higher performing cultures create a 3x return to shareholders. That’s why they urge organizations to treat culture as a top priority. It is one of the most essential drivers of business performance.’
Culture starts with your people. It will create itself if you don’t focus on it and will either drive your success (and competitive advantage) or strand you in the land of mediocrity.
You need to invest in your culture. Not just once a year at a kickoff meeting, but regularly through your actions, words, remuneration, goals and expectations. It needs to be re-enforced during your daily stand-up and activities, weekly meetings and driven through regular company offsites.
So how do you set the foundations of a high performance culture? Here are some of my thoughts:
1) Hire The Best Talent (With The Right Attitude!!)
Everyone talks about hiring the best talent. Wanting a winning team. But it’s not just about the best talent, it’s the best talent with the right attitude that wins and drives culture. Companies can talk about a no d***heads policy, but have they actually implemented it? Is it a real part of the hiring/retention policy? If culture starts with the team then hiring the right attitude is key!
Everyone talks about hiring the best talent. Wanting a winning team. But it’s not just about the best talent, it’s the best talent with the right attitude that wins and drives culture. Companies can talk about a no d***heads policy, but have they actually implemented it? Is it a real part of the hiring/retention policy? If culture starts with the team then hiring the right attitude is key!
2) Know Your Why (Purpose) & Your Values
This is the central point that your culture hangs off. At Aurec we have defined our purpose as Deliver Transformation, Drive Success and Empower Careers (Inspiring Candidate Experience). Our team understand the ‘why’ and have found their value within it. Our values are on the wall but that doesn’t make them real. Living the values, acknowledging the values and rewarding the team when the values are demonstrated builds the culture.
3) Big Goals, Big Vision, Big Picture
High performing teams (and cultures) want to have big goals and a big vision they can get behind. They want to own the big picture and know how their efforts help the organisation succeed. This in turn drives greater engagement. At all levels and all divisions the team should know the impact their role has on the organisations success and accomplishment of the purpose. Along with this the team should feel empowered to act, make choices and own the journey to achievement.
4) Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!
Communicate often, communicate early, communicate with full transparency! And when you feel you have communicated enough then communicate again. You can never re-enforce the message enough. Be vulnerable with your team, share the financials, reward openness, encourage new ideas and build a culture where candor is not only expected but celebrated. High performance cultures can handle robust discussion.
5) Reward The Right Behaviours, Not Just Performance
Reward behaviours that drive your culture. Reward people who demonstrate the values, reward people who live out the purpose of the organization, not just those who deliver financial metrics. Tie the metrics of success and behaviours together. At Aurec we have a focus on performance but also our values, and our customer (candidate/client experience) through our NPS, candidate care programs and other non financial drivers.
6) Have A Great Workplace, Have Fun!
Have an environment where people want to come to work. No I’m not just talking about pool tables, ping pong and beanbags! (although those things help!) But build a workplace that is fun, get creative with how you start the day, your meetings, your internal processes. Run internal competitions and games. Find a way to make the mundane interesting and don’t take yourself too seriously!
7) Expect Excellence, Raise The Bar, Set New Standards
Expect the best out of your team. In a high performance culture you need to set the bar high. Ensure that every team member understands their role and how success is defined. Actively coach your team to improve (across all areas of their role) and continue to raise the bar and set new standards. Reward and expect continuous improvement.
8) Mastery
I have spoken previously about moving from job to career to craft. The craftsmen values mastery. Drive your team towards mastery. Look at ways to learn and grow not just in their craft but holistically with complimentary skills.
9) Celebrate The Wins
Take the time to celebrate wins. Take the team to dinner, run an event, have a big team incentive. However don’t forget to celebrate small wins also, our steps in the right direction, acknowledge peoples efforts and hard work, perhaps give a gift voucher. Give praise, show gratitude……do this often and sincerely.
10) Learn and Grow Together
High performance teams value development and improvement. Harness this and learn and grow together for the betterment of the team and culture. Recently our team implemented Book Club and worked through Combo Prospecting by Tony Hughes. We met weekly to share learnings and grow together prior to a full day training session. We are now moving onto follow up books to move forward as a unit.
11) A Change Mindset & Innovation
Your culture should be constantly evolving. Instill a growth mindset in your people, team and organisation. Everyone should be willing to change their mindset and behavior to improve the culture. Be wiling to innovate and get outside of your comfort zone because your culture will be sharpened by your ability to change and grow.
12) Embrace Diversity & Inclusion
Diverse teams are high performing teams. Drive diversity in your team and diversity in thinking. Challenge the status quo.
And lastly, keep a tight focus on your culture. Focus on it as you would financial results, (as in my opinion it is one of the key drivers of financial performance) hold your culture up to the mirror (reflect), talk about your culture openly with your team, (not just the leaders) continue to evolve your culture and drive positive change.
If you get it right you will have a team that is driven to a common purpose, accountable, fun, open and vulnerable with no politics who strives for excellence.
What have you done to drive a high performance culture? Share your thoughts and feedback below.
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This article is originally published at www.matthewcossens.com/blog/
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