Protecting Our Culture: Finding Balance Between Growth and Relationships

#Question - how have you maintained your culture as you have added employees or grown outside your original location?

?I was part of a group of executives this week and this question came up? How do we maintain our culture as we add employees or grow in new locations??

I truly want to hear your thoughts.?

?Here are my thoughts:?

As we navigate the complexities of growth and expansion, it’s crucial to reflect on how we created the positive culture within our organizations in the first place.?

At the heart of this challenge lies the balance between productivity and people. As we grow, we often find ourselves prioritizing results over the very relationships that foster a thriving work environment.??We slowly speed up the process while minimizing the personal touch.?

Here are 4 ways to protect and nurture your company culture as you grow:

#1??The Importance of Caring - You either mean it or you don’t!?

When we focus solely on productivity, we risk losing the personal touch that makes our workplace special. It's easy to take for granted the extra time and effort we initially invested in building relationships with our employees. However, as relationships mature, it is essential to remember that employees may not always perceive our intentions. If you continually ignore someone because they can do the job or they should just know they are important - then they will get the wrong message pretty quick.?

Key Questions to Consider:

1. How does a person know you care?

2. What do they judge you on?

3. **What originally motivated you about your mission, vision, and values? Do your new employees know it??

4. What have you stopped doing that strengthens relationships?

5. Where are the gaps between what you say is important and what your employees experience?

For new employees, the journey begins without the context of your struggles and successes. They only see how they are treated now, which shapes their perception of your culture. Conversely, veteran employees judge their commitment based on your past actions, not future promises. If you’ve historically supported them, they are likely to trust your future promises. If not, skepticism and pessimism may prevail.

#2 Building a Values-Driven Culture

As we grow, we must ask ourselves not just what we want to accomplish, but who we want to be as an organization. Even more significant is who would you like to carry on those values? Your core growth revolves around a leader that shared your mission, vision and will continue living out your core values. It can’t be emphasized enough the impact a new leader can have if there is a mismatch. Establishing and reinforcing core values not just performance is essential. If you want to see your values reflected in your workplace, recognize and reward them consistently.

#3??Bad times and Culture?

Your values are not created under pressure; they are exposed during it. Through daily actions and interactions your culture is created. Over time it’s solidified. The worst time to find out your values are gone is when you need them the most.??Your culture is driven by people and reinforced by leadership. You can’t wait for excellence or respect under pressure. It was either there or it wasn’t!??Culture is either by design or default. It’s too late to design it when your company is under attack!??But, it is so satisfying to be under attack and all the values that were once hidden behind results now sustain or even fight off hard times.?

#4 Small Gestures Matter

When relationships feel stale, it often reflects a lack of care for the small things that matter – such as celebrating milestones or simply checking in with your team members. Have you noticed the absence of cake in the conference room or a lack of personal acknowledgment in your meetings? These small gestures can significantly impact employee morale and engagement. It’s vital to keep these traditions alive and to show appreciation in ways that resonate with your team. There is a major difference between manipulation and motivation.??Manipulation are all the synthetic or manufactured ways to get people to do their jobs. They are a temporary fix to move performance. Motivation is the work you do everyday that reinforces the care for the people as well as performance.??Manipulation are the quick fixes that never last. Motivation is the permanent things you do in a culture!?

Last Thoughts:?

A thriving culture is very similar to a successful relationship. You promise up front to be a person that keeps their values. A promise you make in good and bad times.??The other person trusts you through your commitment and consistency of actions. You prioritize the relationship with them and show them that you care. It’s funny that a relationship can slowly go down a path of failure by simply not doing the things that created the relationship to begin with.

Thank you as always for letting me share.??

PS - for less than taking your team out to dinner learn how our newest assessment can drive team results and leadership development!??

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