By Kevin Dennis, Fantasy Sound Event Services
No matter what type of work you do, we all share the need for one thing: a strong company culture. Company culture forms the foundation of your brand and affects every aspect of business, especially when it comes to the job performance and commitment of its employees.
As we all know, happy and committed employees correlate with increased productivity and overall life satisfaction. If you have a great, innovative product with a team that doesn’t thrive in the environment, chances are your product won’t do as well as it could.
So, how do I start?
First and foremost, look at the values that you hold near and dear – both personal and professional. Remember: a company’s culture is only as strong as its leadership, so it’s essential for you to determine what you really want your office environment to be like. Do you prefer things casual or are you more into a professional feel? Are you interested in cultivating teamwork or would you prefer your staff members work on individual skills? How would you like your company to be identified? Whatever your preferences may be, you’ll need to settle on it before instilling it in your office.
We like to operate under a ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality, so as much as we are diligent workers, we also want to have fun and enjoy our workplace. Every company will have a different culture, so it’s up to you to decide on what works best for your team.
Once you have a vision of your ideal atmosphere, it’s time to bring the team into it. Schedule a meeting that includes all employees and begin by discussing what they would like to see in the company. Share your vision and ask for feedback – the only way for a company culture to work is for everyone to be on board with it. Some questions that help us guide our company include:
- Where are we right now?
- How did we get here?
- Where do we want to go?
- How can we get there?
The more your company culture forms into what you imagined, the more your team will get along. You may also notice that your brand attracts more like-minded clients that are attracted to the way you work – all the benefits of having a great environment!
Lastly, keep in mind that you’re never quite ‘done’ with developing your company’s culture. It’s an ongoing process and will change over time, so it’s important to be flexible and understanding. People come and go, but your culture is here to stay!
Kevin Dennis is the owner of Fantasy Sound Event Services, a full-service event company based in Livermore, California. Dennis is the current chapter president for Silicon Valley NACE, and the immediate past national president for WIPA.
