Brand and culture.\u00a0 Two sides of the same coin.\u00a0 Your brand is the outside world\u2019s perception of who you are.\u00a0 The only question is, is that perception the one you have intentionally put in place and nurtured, or is it the one your market has bestowed on you by default.\u00a0 Likewise, your culture is how your organization sees itself.\u00a0 How do we behave around here?\u00a0 What do we tolerate and what do we not tolerate?\u00a0 Again, your organization does have a culture.\u00a0 It\u2019s only a question of whether it is there by design or by default.\u00a0 Unfortunately, for many small business owners, \u201cculture\u201d is a touchy-feely thing that has no direct impact on the bottom line.\u00a0 So it gets relegated to HR, or worse, gets ignored entirely.\u00a0 To learn why your company\u2019s culture deserves your attention and how it will help your long-term growth and success, please read below.<\/p>\n
Is this you?\u00a0 \u201cI have a business to run here . . . no time to sit around singing Kumbayah and worrying about sissy stuff like our \u2018culture.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Try telling that to the United States Marines: the strong, the proud, the few.\u00a0 The Marines arguably have the strongest culture of any organization on the planet.\u00a0 Once a Marine, always a Marine.\u00a0 If you\u2019re a Marine, you may have retired from active duty 50 years ago, but you\u2019re still a Marine.\u00a0 It\u2019s part of your DNA.\u00a0 It\u2019s the reason Marines operate with such cohesion and determination.\u00a0 Failure is not an option.\u00a0 Difficult missions are done every day, impossible missions take a little longer, but they get done too.<\/p>\n
Or try telling that to Ritz Carlton Hotels.\u00a0 Ritz has a legendary reputation for world-class customer service . . . a culture of customer service that has been carefully nurtured and covers every desk clerk, bellman, and housekeeper.\u00a0 Ditto Nordstrom\u2019s.\u00a0 Do you think they would have painstakingly created that culture of customer service if they didn\u2019t believe it has a huge impact on their bottom line?\u00a0 Apple has a culture of creativity, of being the guys who are the first out with the next whiz-bang, gotta-have-it technology.<\/p>\n
Think about it and you\u2019ll come up with many more companies who have risen to great success driven by a strong, vibrant culture.\u00a0 So this is definitely not \u201csissy stuff\u201d that is undeserving of your attention.\u00a0\u00a0 It is, in fact, the stuff success is made of.\u00a0 It\u2019s what gives your company focus and allows you to outperform your competition.\u00a0 When you get this right, you get:<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A better track record of hiring and retaining the right people.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Customers who are better served, and therefore, more loyal.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 More consistency setting and achieving goals.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A more focused, cohesive, team-oriented workforce.<\/p>\n
So what defines the culture of your organization?\u00a0 If you can\u2019t answer that question, then what should be the culture of your organization?\u00a0 What behaviors and attitudes do your people need to hold in common to propel you to the top of your market?\u00a0 If you need help to figure that out, or if you need help figuring out how to indoctrinate your organization in the culture you want, call me.\u00a0 We should talk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Brand and culture.\u00a0 Two sides of the same coin.\u00a0 Your brand is the outside world\u2019s perception of who you are.\u00a0 The only question is, is that perception the one you have intentionally put in place and nurtured, or is it the one your market has bestowed on you by default.\u00a0 Likewise, your culture is how<\/p>\n