“Employer of the Year” is an unbelievable honour, but great company culture is the true prize

This weekend, Lift & Co. brought together the Canadian cannabis industry to celebrate its accomplishments over the past year since legalization. Yes, it was the sixth annual Canadian Cannabis Awards (CCA), a night of acclaim, camaraderie and more than a little bit of glamour.

In case you hadn’t heard, we launched TREC’s 10% for Good initiative at the event, our conscious cannabis platform committed to contributing 10 per cent of our profits to transformative causes that put people and our planet first, while calling on fellow cannabis companies to build a positive legacy of corporate social responsibility initiatives.

I’ll be discussing TREC’s 10% for Good initiative in far more detail over the coming weeks, since I guess I should devote this post to our headline of the evening:

TREC BRANDS WON EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR!!!

First off, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge our fellow finalists.

Canadian Cannabis Clinics, CanMar Recruitment, imc North America, James E. Wagner Cultivation, OGEN by Bloom CultivationOrganigram, Starseed Medicinal, Superette, The Supreme Cannabis Company… please take a bow. As this groundbreaking year comes to a close and we share this podium together, I don’t hesitate to say we’re all gold medallists.

Secondly, I’d like to say that while “Employer of the Year” is an unbelievable honour, I maintain that the great company culture this award recognizes is the true prize.

You see, I believe that company culture isn’t just tremendously important to the success and overall health of TREC Brands, but to our people and our customers. What’s more, I believe it can be just as significant for your organization. Heck, for any organization!

After all, it’s been said that — for you and for all others — your company culture defines how your organization does business, how your organization interacts with one another and how the team interacts with the outside world, specifically your customers, partners, suppliers, media and all other stakeholders.

That means your company culture will reverberate across all aspects of your business because it represents the way you do business. It’s both your identity and your image at once, which means it determines how your people and customers perceive you.

In other words, company culture defines your organization’s internal and external identity.

But that’s not the only reason why I deem company culture so important. Far from it.

Your culture can be a reflection of your organization’s core values. Or, if we’re being honest, it can conversely be a betrayal. The point here is this: the ways in which you conduct business, manage workflow, interact as a team and treat your customers all add up to an experience that should represent who you are as an organization and how you believe an organization should be run. Simply put, your culture is the sum of your organization’s beliefs in action.

However, if the values you adopt don’t quite match your culture, well, that’s obviously a problem. Really, it’s a big problem. It could mean that your quote-unquote core values are a list of meaningless buzzwords. Worse yet, that your people know it.

A strong organizational culture keeps your organization’s core values front and center in all aspects of its day-to-day operations and structure. The value of doing so is boundless.

The takeaway? That company culture is about living your organization’s core values.

There’s more. I also believe that one of the greatest advantages of a strong company culture is that it has the power to turn employees into advocates.

Your people want more than a steady paycheque and good benefits. Believe it or not, they crave feeling like what they do matters. And I don’t think I need to tell you that when your people feel like they matter, they’re more likely to become culture advocates. Y’know, people who not only contribute to your organization’s culture, but also promote it and live it internally and externally. 

So, how do you achieve this? Great question. One way is to recognize good work. A culture that celebrates individual and team successes, and that gives credit when credit is due, is a culture that offers a sense of accomplishment. That’s one way to turn employees into advocates, right?

Then again, if your company culture doesn’t do this, you may be inviting criticism. Be warned!

Finally, it goes without saying, but a strong company culture helps you keep your best people.

Should it come as any surprise that employees who feel like they’re part of a community, rather than a cog in a wheel, are more likely to stay at your organization? Come on, that’s what most job applicants are looking for in a place of work!

Ask any top performer what keeps them at their organization and you’re bound to hear this answer: the people. Seriously. It’s because a workplace culture focused on people has profound appeal. It helps improve engagement and deliver a unique employee experience. Plus, it makes your people feel more connected. 

I could go on. I really could. Like about how a well-functioning culture assists with onboarding. Or, how your culture transforms your organization into a team. Or, how culture impacts performance and employee wellbeing. And that’s just scratching the surface!

I will address those points another time. Don’t you worry about that. But, for now, I’ll conclude by saying that, when all is said and done, culture is everything. 

That’s definitely true at TREC Brands, and if I can finally boast a little, I guess I can say we’ve now got the award to prove it. No, seriously, I am so proud of our small, mighty and growing team — a team that live out TREC values every day!

#CompanyCulture #ConsciousCannabis #BusinessTips #PeopleFirst