It’s 2016, so it’s pretty hard to plead ignorance to the importance of company culture at this point. Although, that’s exactly what a lot of companies still do today. They offer up excuses like, “I work in industry X, there’s no place for culture there,” but they couldn’t be more wrong.
The thing is – you have a company culture whether you like it or not. “No culture” is still culture. It’s a very bad one, but it is still culture nonetheless.
And then there are the people who are somewhere in between, those who recognize company culture is important, but don’t recognize just HOW important it is. There are many who argue culture is the single most important factor for the long-term success of a business.
I’ll repeat that, because it bears repeating: Culture is the single most important factor for the long-term success of a business.
Your culture speaks louder than any other aspect of your business. A remarkable company culture acts as a magnet for top talent. It will do more for you than any advertisement will ever do. Why? Because you can fake an advertisement, but you can’t fake culture. A strong culture will speak volumes for your company, and ultimately word will get out about the exceptional environment you have created. At this point, it won’t be long before people are seeking you out. It builds a sustainable network of people who know and love your company for what you do.
Not only does culture attract – it retains. If you create an outstanding environment for people to work in, they will want to remain in that kind of environment. Poor culture is often sited as one of the main reasons people leave a job or company. It’s an intangible perk an organization can create, and its impact goes well beyond the addition of a few more dollars in someone’s paycheck. In fact, that’s typically the solution of a company with a weak culture. They throw more money at an employee and hope they stick around for a little while longer. Most places are able to offer an employee more money, but not everyone can offer you a quality culture.
It’s hard to maintain a successful company if you can’t attract and retain the right people. We’ve been saying it for years at eQ: your people are your most important asset. Culture translates into success, not just because it distinguishes a company from the rest of the pack, but because a remarkable culture attracts remarkable people, and isn’t that who you want working for you?
It’s 2016 … it’s time culture becomes THE priority.
