The Business of Culture

 Michelle Joseph, Talent Acquisition Expert and CEO of PeopleFoundry, explains why culture is the best investment you’ll ever make.

Any buzz you hear about company culture always seems to feature legendarily successful businesses like Google or Facebook. Their employees work on exercise balls, nerf guns in the office and draft beer on tap. Their work life seems like a college dorm party. It makes sense to try emulating this carefree work environment, but many have found their attempts to be less than helpful. Above all the design gimmicks and office eccentricities, a real culture depends on much deeper substance.

The culture of a company should be something that everyone truly believes in, This cannot be artificially created by words on a page, rather it is felt in the day to day operations of the office.

Finding Your Culture

Establishing an enthralling and inspiring culture is not something you can implement in one fell swoop. It will not happen through a couple meetings and it certainly cannot be forced. Understanding your company from the ground up is a great way to start. Putting yourself in the mix will give you a chance to assess not only your operations, but get a true feel for who really runs your company. This level of inspection will you give an opportunity to flatten your lines of communication and slowly pull your company towards value-based centrality.

Selling Yourself

Between all the fun-loving bosses in zany ties and gut-wrenching office parties, it is all too easy for employees to lose faith in their job’s ability to make them feel like part of something bigger. Your good intentions may feel like more of a mockery than anything else. People respect values. How do you communicate your values? You must find a way to integrate them into the very soul of your business. Espousing these values is a good start, but the currency of respect relies on demonstration more than words. Following up on these beliefs is the best way to communicate the importance of your creed.

The Benefits

The candidates you want—your rock star picks—are looking farther than profit margins to satisfy their career itch. They need a little soul—something that feels good working towards. That does not necessarily mean buying ping-pong tables and having beer on tap in the kitchen; a good culture will come naturally with strong core values.

In the end, having a developed culture is the most important investment an owner can make. A prevalent culture will be the first iteration of your company to reach a client or potential employee. It is the lasting impression you will leave and the reason someone will remember you.

 

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Michelle Joseph is the Founder and CEO of PeopleFoundry Inc. She is an expert in Human Resources and talent acquisition.  Michelle works with Chicago growth companies to build top-tier teams by forming partnerships to find the best people the businesses seek. Michelle has a strong voice in the local tech space, regularly speaking at engagements and presenting at various events. Click this link to learn more about Michelle in an interview with Bootstrapping America.

PeopleFoundry’s dedication to understanding clients’ unique needs allows them actively work with the best candidates to help build a winning team. From sales to technology to everything in between, PeopleFoundry carefully matches talented professionals to the priorities and core values of each client. PeopleFoundry is not your typical suit and tie. For more information, please visit www.peoplefoundry.com.