It's been a busy few months of Business Coaching and providing Mentorship for entrepreneurs!
Between our work in program development and facilitation with business organizations and associations, there's been a steady stream of client referrals and project engagements offering a wide array of creative possibilities!
Still, it's important for us to be involved with the business community, and we try to attend a number of events each year. At one networking luncheon I asked an attendee why he decided to start his own business. In response he said that after having resisted the 'entrepreneurial urge' for a long time, he’d finally ‘had enough’ of the toxic corporate culture he’d endured for years where he'd been employed! We had an interesting conversation, and I applaud him for taking action on a key message I’ve shared with business audiences over the years. That message is: "Those who start their own businesses 'chart' their own course." In other words: “One of the great advantages of being an entrepreneur is that you have the opportunity to create the type of corporate culture that you wished you had when you were an employee.”
Shaping corporate culture is both a privilege and the responsibility of every business owner and it’s transmitted through the management team out to every staff member. What’s the message being transmitted within your organization?
Whether it's through a formal mentorship channel, or through something more indirect, corporate culture is formed over time, layer upon layer as we go about our daily routines. Those within the organization look to those in leadership, and learn what is acceptable and what is not. More often than not, things are not clearly defined and documented for others to read. As someone once said, "Corporate Culture isn't something that is taught, rather, it's something that is caught!” That's why Mentorship is so important to cultivating a positive and healthy Corporate Culture.
This post reminded me of a LinkedIn article written by Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO at O2E Brands. I contacted Brian shortly after he published his article in December 2015 and I asked for permission to share that with my audience. (Thank you Brian!) Rather than simply repost his article, I'm going to encourage our viewers to read his full article on Brian Scudamore’s LinkedIn profile. Here is a direct link to the post called "3 Tips To Create A Workplace Culture That Employees Love”.
Briefly, Scudamore mentioned a story from the New York Times and the corporate culture experienced by some employees at Amazon. He then highlights that corporate culture plays a critical role in areas such as: morale, hiring, productivity and profitability. For business owners and entrepreneurs, Scudamore says that it comes down to making a choice ... that choice is to create and cultivate an organization that is beneficial to all of those involved in its success, or to have one that seeks only to satisfy the interests of shareholders.
For those who feel that their corporate culture has somehow gone 'way off the rails' ... it may be time to consider taking some drastic action. And that appears to be exactly what Scudamore did, when in 1994 he said he fired all of his employees. To pick up from there, and in his own words, he said, "I had an epiphany and realized that culture is everything. From that moment on, I decided that our people and our culture would come first. To reinforce that choice and make myself accountable, I even posted “It’s all about people” in the front entrance of our office, in huge vinyl letters for everyone to see. It’s still there today reminding us of that commitment."
In his article, Brian Scudamore shared three culture building tips that he's gathered from his years of business experience. And while we again encourage you to read the full story, here's our quick summary of those three tips:
Tip 1: Create a high-energy workplace. Create an environment where people love to do the work they love, and everyone benefits.
Tip 2: Give employees space to dream — on and off the job. Recognize that your team members also have dreams, and by giving them an outlet to express them, you increase their level of engagement, and may even generate some awesome initiatives.
Tip 3: Share the wealth with your employees. Employees who feel like owners have a real incentive to contribute to the company’s success. The best profit-sharing programs ... result in an office environment where people are excited to share in the outcome.
Those are some great tips from Brian Scudamore, and we appreciate his sharing them in even more detail through his own post on LinkedIn. Please give that a read.
NOW - What have you seen that contributes
to an improved Corporate Culture?
to an improved Corporate Culture?
Add your "Mentoring" comments and suggestions below
and we'll look forward to sharing your insights with others!
and we'll look forward to sharing your insights with others!
QUESTION: Are there areas of your business planning that could benefit from having a BUSINESS COACH and MENTOR?
IF the ANSWER is YES ... Take a look at our "NEXT Steps Program!
If you're looking for flexible and cost-effective Business Coaching & Mentoring, you'll like our “NEXT Steps - Program”. It's been designed with you in mind, and provides 12 months of valuable assistance that designed to fit your busy schedule!
For more information see:
"Option 3 – “PVS – NEXT Steps - Business Coaching & Mentoring Program”
You'll find it listed on our Website Registration page:
