I’ve worked a lot of jobs in my day. Wow, that made me sound (and feel) really old lol! But I have. I’ve worked in a restaurant, at a dance studio, an engineering company, a hospital, a retail store. I’ve owned a restaurant, an online store, a media company, an event planning company, a graphic design business, and have a real estate business. Just to name a few. So it’s fair to say that I’ve had experience in my fair share of different industries. I’ve worked as a solopreneur, in a small business, as well as for large corporations, all of them having different work cultures.
In each job, what kept me there was the people and the mission of the business. When my bosses and coworkers became my friends and individuals I come to respect. I know pay is an obvious factor, but quite honestly, I’d rather get paid a little less and love the people I work with. Not only that but the team’s belief in their work and the company’s mission had a huge effect on my perspective as well. Did I believe in my boss’s commitment to the company’s mission? Did they care? Or was it just a possible bonus that kept them in line with the goals? This leads me to my point – a positive corporate culture is so important! Let me explain.
Entrepreneur.com defines corporate culture as a blend of the values, beliefs, taboos, symbols, rituals, and myths all companies develop over time. It effects almost every aspect of the business – the business’s goals, strategies, even approaches to labor. As a business owner that has grown a team, implementing a corporate culture is something I’ve had to learn about. In the past, I’ve just been a subject of my job’s corporate culture. But as a business owner my job is to enforce what I believe is the most beneficial corporate culture for my business.
One thing that I emphasize in our corporate culture is leadership. Being someone’s boss is a huge responsibility and a privilege. Not only is it a boss’s job to inspire their employees to do a good job but they also set the tone for the work environment. And I firmly believe that corporate culture starts with management. I believe there as to be a can-do atmosphere that enforces positivity but is also balanced with goal oriented milestones. A business is still a job, and though you want your team to enjoy where they work there also has to be structure and expectation. Once the leadership knows how to balance these 2 things I believe that’s when your management, team, and company thrives!
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