9 signs of a really good company culture

This blog is adapted from Fairness is Overrated: And 51 Other Leadership Principles to Revolutionize Your Workplace by Tim Stevens.

When I first heard the phrase “company culture” it was over 20 years ago, and I was working for a global  pharma corporation whose cultures mainly produced yeast!  Back then few people, including me, would have known what it meant.  I was told it was “The way things get done around here” and I still like that definition as it is based on what really happens not on the aspirational phrases used in the company values, it is realpolitik.

What you notice in your work place tells whether you have a healthy culture or not.

1. People want to join you.  Not because you are paying more but because of who you are and your reputation.
2. Similarly, you don’t lose many people other than for good reasons, like pregnancy, promotion, retirement etc.
3. The leader isn’t defensive and protecting his/her power, rather  he/she encourages others to lead.
4. Leadership comes from all levels in the team, not just those in positions of power
5. The team feels good about what they do, and believe in and understand their ‘mission’
6. People know and feel that they matter and they are smiling
7. They are happy to speak their minds and unafraid of making mistakes.  A good team must make mistakes and learn from them.
8. There is good communication, upwards, downwards and sideways, but gossip is not needed or tolerated
9. Change is normal and not something to be feared.  It isn’t just driven from the top but evolutionary

This entry was posted on Monday, March 2nd, 2015 at 08:00 and is filed under Business Change, Hints, Tips & Techniques, Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.