In his book ‘The Advantage – Why Organisational Health Trumps Everything Else’, Patrick Lencioni states:
More than anything else, values are critical because they define your business’s personality.
If I asked you what the personality of your firm was, what would be your response?
He also states that with the right values in place you will attract the right employees and repel the wrong ones, attract the right clients and repel the wrong ones...
Sounds like it’s worth taking the time to invest in the health of your workplace culture.
Your workplace culture needs to be a direct reflection of all the decisions, actions and behavioural work habits of you and your team.
A healthy workplace culture will give your firm a competitive edge, an advantage over your greatest rivals, and yet most business owners ignore it.
So, what does a healthy workplace culture look like?
If you sat down with your team and asked them to describe a healthy work culture, they would probably come up with a list like the one suggested by Patrick Lencioni in his book:
- Minimal politics
- High productivity
- Minimal confusion
- Low staff turnover
- High morale
However, most business leaders tend to invest time and energy on getting smarter, instead of healthier, by focusing on the easy-to-measure areas of their firm:
- Strategy
- Marketing
- Finance
- Technology
Both are required, but fail with the first (healthy) list and your efforts on the second (smarter) list will be pointless.
However, succeed on the first list and your efforts on the second list will be effective and rewarding!
When you establish the right set of values for you and your team, you sponsor success in both the healthy and smart areas of your firm.