Creating a culture for success

Successful businesses often find that one of the best ways to reach success is to create a culture within their internal structure. Creating a culture with employees, and building on it helps move a company forward, and helps it achieve the goals that it has set for itself. The following is a look at some things to consider when working toward creating culture in your business.

First, what is culture? Culture is the atmosphere, environment, and feelings that exist within the constructs of your business. This means how your employees feel. It can be elusive to grasp, but the culture is the soul, sense of purpose, passion, desire to serve customers, foster happiness, create trust, and basic driving factors behind a business. Thus, a business that succeeds in creating a positive culture will succeed in high levels of customer service, motivated and inspired employees, etc.

Without culture, you can't win over a healthy market share. Without culture you won't get half of the success you want to achieve.Why? Because people are what run a business, despite technology, the people really matter, and a company that does not value its employees, or make them feel a sense of purpose when working there, will not have employees that are brand advocates.

The following is an eight step guide for how to create a healthy, vibrant culture:
1. Fun to work- You have to start by making your office somewhere that is fun to work. This might mean doing some company bonding, holding a party or two, making the atmosphere more creative, etc. You should evaluate your office, and determine what you can do to make it more fun. This does not mean take it less seriously, just infuse some fun into the serious aspects of it.
2. Profitable to be productive- Make it profitable for your employees to be productive. Sure they get paid a good salary, but add some extra incentive, such as contests where the person with the most sales, or the best customer service ratings gets a cash reward, a gift card, lunch out with the executives, or something else. Everyone should feel that if the business succeeds, they will too.
3. Vision is clear and inspiring- If you want a culture that is vibrant and healthy, every employee needs to know what they are working toward, and that end result should be very inspiring.
4. Exceptional levels of customer service- A great culture needs to include a high level of customer service, and a focus on keeping customers happy, despite the cost. This makes employees feel like the customer is valued, which in turn makes customers feel valued.
5. Clear goals- clear to the customer, clear to the employee. You have to make sure everyone knows what you want, and what is expected.
6. Training- You can't expect people to know everything, a great way to create a great culture is ongoing training. Even if it is ten minutes a day of reminding your team what is expected, and recognizing great examples of it, it will go a long way.
7. Hiring carefully- If you want your culture to be great, you have to find people that fit your culture. Not only should they be qualified, but they should be passionate about what you do.
8. Values have to be committable- The values you ask of your employees have to be something they can commit to, and really believe in.