Creating a Company Culture: How Actions Speak Louder than Words
?Idea in Brief:
Company culture is not something created by words, but rather the natural result of continuous behaviour. Leaders must link their activities with the ideals they teach, since employees will follow behaviour, not speech. Actions like as rewarding preferred behaviours, providing honest criticism, and retaining accountability help to develop an authentic culture. When executives exemplify the company's principles, they foster a culture of trust, consistency, and engagement. Culture, in essence, evolves via actions rather than words.
Call To Action
Consider whether your behaviours as a leader align with the ideals you want to see in your organisation. Begin modelling the behaviour you want your staff to adopt, and recognise those that adhere to the company's basic principles. Consistent actions, not just words, will positively impact your corporate culture.
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Culture is an intangible force that shapes a company's identity. It serves as the framework for relationships, decisions, and daily operations. While many CEOs talk about developing a strong business culture, it is frequently overlooked that culture cannot be created by speeches, slogans, or one-time activities. Instead, it is an organic progression that results from consistent behaviours demonstrated by those in positions of leadership and, eventually, by all employees. The answer is simple: your company's culture will evolve based on behavior—what you do has far greater influence than what you say.
Here we discuss abput the significance of harmonising words and deeds, how behaviour influences culture, and specific ways for fostering a genuine and effective organisational culture.
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The Evolution of Corporate Culture: An Organic Process?
Many executives believe they can create a culture by laying out a clear goal, putting values on paper, and giving pep talks to employees. While these processes are significant, they do not represent the essence of culture. Culture arises spontaneously from what people see and experience in the workplace. It is influenced by:
Employees will notice if a company's leadership talks about ideals like integrity, accountability, or customer attention while consistently demonstrating behaviour that violates these values. Over time, people will dismiss the stated "values" and instead agree with what they see: favouritism, micromanagement, a lack of responsibility, or contempt for customers.
This leads to a key cultural truth: your team will follow your actions, not your motivational speeches. If you don't do what you say, your credibility and the culture you want to foster will suffer.
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Importance of "Walking the Talk"?
In any organisation, leaders function as role models. Employees observe their boss' behaviour in various situations and respond accordingly. Employees are more likely to follow in the footsteps of leaders who live the ideals they teach.
However, a mismatch between words and actions conveys a confused message. For example:
Employees take cues from these actions. They quickly realise that what is rewarded and approved will be repeated, but what is discouraged or penalised will be avoided. Over time, these patterns of behaviour shape the company's culture— not the words, signs, or mission statements, but the acts witnessed and carried out.
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A Generic Example: Building Trust Through Transparency?
Imagine a firm that values transparency. Leaders regularly emphasise the value of open communication in meetings and urge staff to express their ideas. However, when employees provide feedback, they often find that it is disregarded, or worse, that they face consequences for speaking up. Despite the leadership's stated commitment to transparency, employees rapidly realise that speaking up is not actually valued, and they begin to hide their opinions. Over time, this leads to a culture of silence, mistrust, and disengagement.
Could you consider the opposite circumstance? The same organisation promotes openness, but this time, when employees provide input, leadership listens, interacts, and acts. They address issues openly, accept mistakes, and explain the decision-making process. Employees realise that their opinions matter and that transparency is more than just a word—it is executed. This consistency promotes trust, encourages open communication, and strengthens the entire culture.
This example demonstrates that actions, not words, shape culture. Employees will only trust in openness if they see it in action.
Behaviour: The True Language of Culture
Behaviour is the silent language of culture. The way people behave when no one is looking defines the essence of your organization's ideals. While legislation and institutions can influence behaviour, it is the unwritten rules—those based on genuine experiences—that establish the true culture. This includes how employees respect one another, their willingness to go above and beyond for a customer, and how open and honest communication is.
Employees gain a high sense of trust in leadership when their behaviour reflects the stated principles. They recognise that the ideals discussed at corporate meetings are more than simply words. On the contrary, when leaders say one thing but do it differently, cynicism grows. The gap between words and actions erodes morale and trust, and employees frequently grow disengaged.
Why Pep Talks Are Not Enough.?
Pep talks and speeches have a place. They can unite teams, provide temporary motivation, and remind people of the broader goal. However, pep talks cannot foster culture. If the behaviour does not match the rhetoric, inspiration rapidly fades and speeches become empty.
Consider a boss who enthusiastically discusses innovation at corporate meetings but rejects fresh ideas from team members when they are presented. The crew will not feel motivated to innovate. Instead, they will become disillusioned, realising that there is no genuine space for innovation.
In contrast, when actions follow words, pep talks become an effective reinforcing mechanism. They remind people of their shared purpose, recognise behaviour that is consistent with values, and rally the team around a common goal.
Building Culture Through Behaviour: Practical Strategies
Now that we understand that culture is formed via behaviour rather than words, the question arises: How can you create a business culture that really reflects the values you wish to instil?
Model the behaviour you want to see.
Leadership must demonstrate the behaviours they wish to see in others. If you want to foster a transparent culture, be open and honest about your decisions and criticism. If you want to foster an innovative culture, encourage creative thinking, even if it does not result in instant success. Every decision you make, and every encounter you have, provides an opportunity to show the principles you want to instill in your culture.
Reward and Recognise Good Behaviours?
Recognition is a highly effective cultural tool. Employees will naturally gravitate towards reward-based behaviours. As a result, it is critical to connect rewards—whether in the form of bonuses, promotions, or public recognition—with actions that reflect the company's underlying values. When you reward the proper behaviours, you send a message that they are appreciated and should be repeated.
For example, if your organisation encourages teamwork, recognise and reward collective efforts over individual accomplishments. If customer service is a fundamental value, demonstrate how staff go above and beyond to serve consumers.
Establish Safe Spaces for Authentic Feedback?
When employees feel secure in expressing their opinions, a true and honest culture emerges. Leaders must aggressively seek feedback, be open to criticism, and demonstrate that feedback produces constructive change. This necessitates vulnerability, as it entails acknowledging when your behaviour conflicts with the company's ideals and being willing to change.
Setting up formal feedback mechanisms—such as regular one-on-one check-ins, anonymous surveys, or town hall meetings—can assist in guaranteeing that input flows both ways. However, simply constructing these routes is not sufficient. Leaders must demonstrate through their behaviours that they value and act on feedback received.
Hold everyone accountable?
Accountability is critical to fostering a culture of consistency in words and deeds. This includes holding both employees and leaders accountable when their behaviour deviates from the company's declared principles. Without accountability, culture fractures, resulting in contradictions between what is preached and what is practised.
If collaboration is a key value, but leadership permits select teams to operate in silos without consequence, it conveys the impression that cooperation is optional. Accountability ensures that behaviours are consistent with principles, promoting a culture of integrity.
Be consistent.?
Culture requires stability over time. You can't preach one thing today and act differently tomorrow. Your culture's long-term success is dependent on your behaviour conveying a consistent message. This is not to say that you cannot evolve; it simply means that your evolution must remain committed to the essential values that define your organisation.
Accept imperfection.?
It's crucial to understand that culture isn't about perfection. Leaders will make mistakes, and their behaviour will not always line with their professed principles. The trick is to see these experiences as learning opportunities. Be open about your mistakes, demonstrate a willingness to learn, and use these lessons to strengthen the culture.
Leaders who are modest enough to confess their mistakes and take corrective action indicate that culture is a process, not a destination.
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Actions vs. Words?
Creating a company culture is not about what you say, but about what you do. While speeches, mission statements, and pep talks can serve as starting points, an organization's true culture is established by behaviour from the top down. Employees will act on what they see rather than hear, and these behaviours will become engrained in the company's identity over time.
As a leader, your decisions are constantly scrutinised. Every decision you make, and every encounter you have, has the potential to either strengthen or harm the culture you want to create. Model the values you preach, reward the proper behaviours, and be consistent in your actions to establish a culture that evolves naturally and corresponds with your company's long-term strategy.
In the end, it is not about the words you say, but about doing what you say.
Business Owner at Mahavir Home Store
1 周Insightful & Useful.