Building a Strong Company Culture: The Key to Success, Regardless of Size

In today's competitive business landscape, the importance of company culture cannot be overstated. Whether you run a small startup or a large corporation, cultivating a positive and cohesive company culture is vital to your organisation's long-term success. It not only defines your company's values and beliefs but also shapes the behaviour, attitudes, and overall work environment, and as a business, you can allow this to be organic (good luck with that) or you can define the values and beliefs you want and choose the behaviours you want to see from your people (but this takes effort and hence, is frequently ignored).?

In this blog post, we will explore the significance of building a strong company culture, particularly in small companies, and shed light on the negative consequences of overlooking cultural fit in new employees. ?Additionally, we will highlight the advantages of working with a coach to define your culture, I spent many years working with businesses on developing their culture and behaviours and know first-hand the impact this can truly have, and an executive search company to find both the right CV and the right person for your team.

The Power of Company Culture:

Company culture is the foundation for attracting and retaining top talent, fostering employee engagement (Deloitte states that just 14% of the UK workforce are actively engaged, 66% disengaged and 20% actively disengaged - the poisoned apple), and driving overall productivity. In a small company, every team member plays a crucial role, and the impact of cultural alignment becomes even more pronounced. A strong, lived, defined company culture unifies the team, inspires collaboration, and creates a shared sense of purpose. It fosters a supportive and inclusive environment where your people feel valued, motivated, and empowered to contribute their best.

The Pitfalls of Ignoring

Cultural Fit:

Neglecting cultural fit when hiring new employees can lead to significant negative consequences. While a candidate's qualifications and experience are important, hiring solely based on those criteria without considering cultural alignment can disrupt team dynamics and hinder organisational growth. A misfit employee may struggle to adapt to the company's values, norms, and working style, causing disharmony, decreased morale, and reduced productivity. We have all seen it, the ‘bad apple’ can spread rot throughout the business. In contrast, a new hire who aligns with your company culture can contribute effectively, positively influence others, and accelerate the achievement of your business goals.

Defining Your Company Culture

with a Coach:

Working with a professional coach can be immensely beneficial in defining and shaping your company culture. A coach can help you identify your core values, articulate your vision, and establish clear behavioural expectations. They guide you in developing strategies to embed the desired culture throughout your team, ensuring it becomes an integral part of your daily operations. With a coach's expertise, you can proactively address challenges, nurture a positive work environment, and align your team towards a common purpose.?Now, I am not saying you can’t achieve this alone… what I am saying is buying in an external professional will help you to define your culture, get it working and keep it despite the inevitable changes to the team (people do come and go).

Finding the Right CV and the

Right Person with an Executive Search Company:

Partnering with an executive search company (yes, such as tPS Recruitment, namely us ??) can be a game-changer when it comes to hiring for cultural fit. ?As a specialised firm, we will go beyond traditional recruitment methods wherever we can.?We will get to know your business, your culture and your values (ideally over time with a visit or 3 and possibly lunch).?Our role then becomes not only to find the right ‘C.V.’ skill set, but also to delve deep into candidates' values, beliefs, and work styles to ensure they align with your company culture (i.e. this isn’t a ‘flick and stick’ high street advertise and job board service). Professional executive search companies employ assessments, and interviews, and can provide performance screening and behaviour profiles to identify candidates who not only possess the required qualifications but also possess the right mindset and attitude. By leveraging their expertise, you significantly increase the likelihood of finding individuals who will thrive within your organisation, contributing to its growth and success.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, building a strong company culture is a critical aspect of business success, irrespective of your company's size (okay, so if you are working alone, you might not need to define it excessively, but the moment you have a team of 2 or more, it becomes valuable). Ignoring cultural fit during the hiring process can have detrimental effects on team dynamics and overall performance. Therefore, in my view, it is massively beneficial to work with a coach to define your culture and when it comes to actually hiring, an executive search company to find both the right CV and the right person is worth their weight in gold, expect to work with them on an exclusive basis and fees are generally 15-25% (working with multiple agents will lead to 10-15% fees, woohoo for the price… but the cost??You get CV flickers and 25% effort from your recruiters (they have far less chance to make their money, so you get far less of their focus).

By consciously shaping your company culture and attracting employees who embody it, you create an environment where collaboration, productivity, and employee satisfaction flourish. My view is that every serious business should invest in its company culture in order to reap the long-term benefits for your business growth, productivity and ultimately profits.