With some effort, one person can change their company’s culture. They must be willing to adapt and evolve along with the culture they’re trying to change, though, or it won’t work out well in the long run. Here are a few things to consider when thinking about changing your company’s culture as an individual.
Like any good company, you probably want to build a strong culture that reflects your values and vision. If you’re just starting out, it might be hard to understand why investing in culture is so important. You may think of culture as being trivial or even unimportant. However, if you don’t invest in building a strong culture early on, you will have problems down the road. In fact, without a strong foundation built upon shared values and beliefs, your business will never reach its full potential. That’s because when you try to scale up quickly, hiring new employees becomes more difficult. New hires can struggle with adapting to an established culture because they weren’t involved in creating it from day one. To avoid these issues, make sure your startup has a solid culture from day one. By doing so, you can prevent miscommunication and keep things running smoothly for years to come.
Establish core values. Establish a statement that summarizes your company’s mission and vision in one sentence. For example, Zappos has: Deliver WOW Through Service. Then, look for opportunities to include these words and actionable behaviors in everyday business interactions. It may be difficult at first, but it gets easier with time and practice. Once you have established these core values, make sure they are visible throughout your office so everyone knows what is expected of them. Keep an eye out for employees who aren’t living up to those standards and offer them training or coaching as needed. If there are any underlying issues that need to be addressed, now is the time to address them before they become bigger problems later on down the road. While creating a new culture takes time, patience and consistency, it will be worth it in the end. Most people think it’s impossible to change their company’c culture, but it’s definitely attainable. You can do it!
Check out why it’s a bad idea to base a company’c culture on one person here.
Here’s SHRM’s tips for building a strong culture.