Company culture is often misunderstood. Our team has experienced many different answers when we ask people what culture means to them. We have heard from some people that culture is something like table tennis in the office or quotes you put on a wall, or even going out for a beer. This could not be farther from the truth. Through years of research, case studies, and a proven track record of success stories, our team at Reimaginez is challenging these misconceptions daily. Company culture is not just another thing on your to-do list or a small side activity. Company culture impacts everything from engagement, productivity, and customer loyalty; to talent retention, growth, and profitability.
We recently sat down with our very own Founder, CEO of Reimaginez, and world-renowned cultural expert, Therese Gedda, to discuss in detail how culture can drive behavior. Therese shared that it’s not always easy for founders to know exactly when and how to invest in their culture. Therese has over 20 years of expertise in building thriving company cultures, and she has worked with over 1,000+ CEOs and Founders to build successful and high-performing companies. Take a look at what our brilliant Founder had to say when we asked her some tough questions about what it takes to build thriving company culture.
When is the Time to Invest in Company Culture?
Therese, can you share some of the struggles that you have seen founders experiencing when it comes to building a successful company and a culture full of high-performers and High Achievers?
Therese: Yes, absolutely. As a founder, you usually find yourself with a million things on your plate, including challenges that can turn into exciting opportunities for growth. For example, you might have just closed a round of funding and now need to scale the company. Perhaps you are searching for top talent. Or you might be going through the arduous merger and acquisition process. Alternatively, while everything may seem quiet, you could be experiencing intense internal pressure and lack of control from things that used to work in the company but no longer do. Sometimes the pressure can even come from your board because their vision no longer aligns with yours.
Being in the driver’s seat of your company, and having the right processes and people in place, is essential to making you feel supported and like you are part of a team striving for one common vision. For high-growth companies, it can be easy to prioritize so many other things that seem pressing before people and culture, but it’s a mistake. Like building a castle, moving forward with the construction without a strong foundation can lead to severe issues over time. This is also the case for companies.
When a company decides to enter a growth or scaling process, everything can happen very quickly. Often, this can lead to forgetting to make sure the foundation is built to handle the growth and changes.
Wonderful; thank you for sharing your perspective. It is so interesting to hear your thoughts on this, and I can imagine that some people struggle with what they truly are facing and what action would have an outside impact until someone like you or our team comes in and support them in seeing clearly. Your proven success and knowledge is reflected in your work and how you communicate it.
Next, we asked Therese if she could share some steps that any Founder can take to help positively impact company culture, both short and long-term. Here are the highlights from what she shared:
1. Create Positive Team Experiences
A great team experience starts by designing a culture that champions high-achiever behaviors and motivates talent to contribute their best to a vision of positive change. While culture is often represented as some words on a wall, the essence of your culture is actually embodied in the daily interactions your team members perform, both internally and externally. Beyond knowing what your values are, your team members and your company benefit from getting to experience what your values feel like. So it is important to periodically review how your behaviors connect to your core values.
2. Connect People to Purpose
Identifying purpose can be a game-changer, especially when implemented in every dimension and interaction in the company. For team members, for example, it’s great to make purpose a part of their journeys as early on as the hiring process when attracting talent and showing employees how their work is contributing to the company’s overall purpose. This is especially true for high-performing individuals, who are more likely to work and stay with a company with a clearly defined purpose, meaningful opportunities, and loyalty to individual leaders who lead with intention.
3. Encourage Recognition and Appreciation
Appreciation and recognition in the workplace are great ways to increase engagement, a sense of belonging, and job satisfaction. An important aspect to keep in mind is not everybody feels appreciated in the same way. There are multiple ways of showing and receiving appreciation that resonates with individuals on different levels. This has been presented as a framework by Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Paul White in The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. Helping someone out with a project, leaving them a heartfelt message, dedicating someone your undivided attention, picking a meaningful gift, or sharing a high-five after an achievement are all great ways of showing appreciation. The key is to do it the way that resonates the most with each team member.
4. Design a Brilliant Cultural Plan
This document is the asset that will help you plan and execute your culture throughout the year. Workshops, leadership programs, training initiatives, and even company retreats are some of the initiatives that have a place in a Cultural Plan. The true potential of the Cultural Plan is in designing it simultaneously with your Strategic Plan, which can help you make sure your cultural initiatives correlate with where you are and where you’re aiming.
5. Invest in You
In order to lead your culture in the right direction, you must be taking care of yourself as the company levels up. Are you being supported physically, strategically, emotionally, and mentally? Habits like meditation, journaling, and physical activity can add great value to your Founder’s journey, as they can enhance your focus, alignment, and grounding, setting you up for success.
At the end of the day, if you remember that people want to feel seen, heard, appreciated, and acknowledged, this is what will drive your growth, performance, and your bottom-line profitability.
Elevating Your Pursuit in Building a High Performing Culture
Thank you, Therese, for sharing such beneficial tips for current and future Founders who are ready to invest in the future of their companies. In essence, as Leaders, we have the ability and the power to build a strong and thriving culture in our workplaces. If you are ready to bring your company to the next level, we are here to help. With the help of Therese and our outstanding team of High Achievers at Reimaginez, you can change your company’s culture into a high-performing and high-achieving work environment that will produce success and amplify your team’s creativity and productivity.
If you are ready to take the next step in improving your company culture, feel free to reach out to us via our website through email or LinkedIn We are ready to help you thrive.
At the end of the day, if you remember that people want to feel seen, heard, appreciated, and acknowledged, this is what will drive your growth, performance, and your bottom-line profitability.
