Why I love to focus so much of my time, effort, and passion on organization culture. And you (your organization) should, as well.
I often get asked why I spend so much of my time writing/talking about and consulting on strong culture building and culture transformation.
My answer is, “Because it matters so much!” And I propose that in a post-Covid, transforming global workforce landscape, culture matters more than ever.
I strongly maintain that the culture of an organization is the single most important tool an organization can wield to positively impact its ability to achieve its desired outcomes. More so than strategy. More so than operational performance.
I am passionate about culture because it touches literally EVERY person in your organization and affects every single relationship. It determines whether your people are happy, engaged, doing work they believe in, collaborating and building strong teams, leading, coaching, mentoring, communicating, committed to your values, acting as brand ambassadors to your clients and other stakeholders, maximizing their full potential, and being their most productive selves. And THAT drives your profitability.
How do you keep your people engaged, inspired, focused, and committed to helping your organization achieve its short and long-term objectives when they work remotely? When they’re spread out geographically, and don’t get to “experience” your culture by coming into the office? What does culture feel like in this 21st Century, five generation workplace anyway?
Organizations didn’t used to care about culture. But that has changed, due to a supposed war on talent (there isn’t one), silent quitting (not new!), tens of thousands of Millennials and Gen Zs who possess different expectations of the employee-employer contract replacing Matures and Boomers who are exiting the job market.
This is why organizations like Forbes, Crains, Ethisphere, Business Week, etc. focus so much of their attention on the best places to work. And so many organizations are now buying into the critical value of creating and maintaining a world-class organization culture to attract and retain top talent.
What do YOU think? How important is culture TO YOU and YOUR ORGANIZATION? I’d love to know your thoughts.
Here’s to an amazing 2024