This is something that can be tricky when creating a business, but is vital to your success. If you look at companies that have succeeded in their industry you notice that they are generally companies that are known for having a great company culture. This culture is relayed onto your employees, which is then conveyed to your customers. If values are clearly defined and followed you will see better results in customer service and employee relations.

First off conveying your culture and values is a must in order for your company message to reach your customers. In this day and age a product is not good enough, but creating an positive image that generates a genuine experience to the customer is going to produce you results. What do you do to make your employees aware of these values? I recommend that from the first time you come into contact with your employees (the interview) you should express the company values to see if he or she is a proper fit for your business. Af this documenting the values in a basic employee handbook or posting a poster with these values in a place that particular employee comes across everyday. 

Most likely you will have to refresh not only your employees of these concepts, but also yourself. Sticking to your fundamental values will help remind you why you chose to do this business. Always go back to the basics if things are not moving in your favor. These basic building blocks will help you tread water in the tough times. For example, one value that I try to live by is “do not take excuses and don’t make excuses.” If you stay real people will respect you and what you stand for. They may not like it for a while, but they will respect you. We all are flawed in one way or another and people understand that. If something goes wrong explain to your client the issues at hand and how you intend to fix them or prevent them from happening in the future. Another quick tip is giving the customer more than what they expected. If you go over and beyond their expectations they will remember this and come back to do more business with you. Not only will they come back, but they will tell more people about what you did for them. 

When thinking of your culture think of companies that you constantly admire or appreciate their service like Nordstrom, Southwest Airlines, or Toyota. Toyota is one of my favorite companies to watch because they share a Kaizen culture (a culture of continuous improvement suggested from within).  Once again, find a cultural value that fits your fancy and then stick to it and you will see results whether it be financially or internally.

A cultural value described by GE CEO Jack Welch, “What sets GE         apart is a culture that uses diversity as a limitless source of learning, a storehouse of ideas whose breadth and richness is unmatched in world business. At the heart of this culture is an understanding that an organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive business advantage.”

If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions please email us at questions@businessonthemound.com.

Tags: Culture, Kaizen

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 at 9:30 am and is filed under Management, Team Building. 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.