Let’s just jump right in, shall we?
Culture is a company asset
Yet so many organizations treat it as an afterthought, at best.
Here’s another fact for you:
Culture is either by intent – or by default
If you’re not intentional about what you want your culture to be, you’ll end up with whatever takes shape around the personalities of your leaders – from the executive C-suite on down to your first-line managers.
And a third:
Culture requires ongoing care
Culture is not a project. It is not a once-and-done, set-it-and-forget-it thing.
It requires nurturing, measuring, evaluating, tweaking, support.
You might even consider treating it like a child … or a pet. And no, I’m not kidding. Culture is the personality of your company, and needs to be cared for accordingly and appropriately.
Culture starts at the top … and is enacted on the front lines
Your front-line managers are where culture meets reality. If your front-line managers aren’t clear about how the culture is defined, how to walk the talk, or are just generally not great at managing and leadership, your culture will start to erode right there. And since the front-line managers are the ones interacting with the vast majority of your individual employees – well, you get the point!
AND it starts at the top. Executive leadership must create the clarity, demonstrate how to walk the talk, and model good leadership and management – which also means supporting the front-line managers in developing their skills.
And finally:
Now more than ever
It seems like we’re saying that a lot these days – “Now more than ever…” – probably because it’s true.
Now more than ever we must understand that people want – need – to work within a supportive culture. Which means that now more than ever we need good managers who know how to support the culture, and therefore their people.
It’s up to the managers to ask for support if they’re not getting it – and the executives to provide it without asking.
And if you as a manager aren’t getting support, and don’t feel like you can ask for it, well, that says a lot about the culture, doesn’t it?
Want to know more about intentional culture and how your front-line managers can be better at supporting it? Let’s talk. Schedule your conversation here!