As a business owner one of the things I invest in is my company’s culture. I invest time, energy and money into making sure we have a positive, caring, supportive workplace where my team can excel, my business can grow and my clients receive excellent service – every time.
This isn’t something that happened overnight and it’s definitely not something I can “set and forget”, it’s a constantly evolving thing.
It started with determining what the goals and values were of myself and my business. Then figuring out how to make those goals and values tangible – something we could see and feel – not just words written on a document. (This is definitely a constant work in progress!)
Then came recruitment, and attitude became the driving force. If someone walked in my door with a belief that they could made a difference in my client’s life by their work, then that’s who I wanted on my team. Obviously I had to make sure they had the right characteristics and were willing to learn, but what they stood for became more important than what they could do – because I could teach them what to do.
Then came training and performance management. Again, another constantly evolving piece of the puzzle. I needed to make sure they could do their job to the standard required, they understood the framework we must work within, and how to motivate them and acknowledge their work.
Finally, it’s every day, business as usual – the big things and the little things. I need to make sure I walk the talk, remain consistent and keep my focus on my team, our goals, the service we deliver and how we deliver it.
For me, this is probably the most challenging part of owning a business and being a leader, but it is also the most rewarding with the biggest return on investment.
It also puts the biggest smile on my face when I can see and feel that everyone is on the same page in their own individual way.
