When you hire new employees, especially young ones, they are anxious to fit into the company. They are uncertain as to how they should behave. So they look for cues in the culture of the company. They ask themselves, “How should I behave? What is the right response when a co-worker asks for help? What is the best way to ‘fit in’?”
As a leader, the most important thing you can do is create a culture by design-not default. And this starts with the values you set for the company. But the values are useless if, as the leader, you don’t live them yourself. Your employees will be watching to see if you live those values. One wrong move, one time that you don’t act in accordance with those values, and people will know it. They are always watching the leaders.
I remember one time I bought a classic mustang. And I was thinking about storing it in our warehouse during the winter. I was walking through the factory and couldn’t help but notice our values (we hang the banners of our values in the factory). One is Integrity. And I thought, would a leader with integrity use the warehouse space for a personal asset? Especially when no one else can? The answer was very clear. A leader with integrity would not. And then I asked myself, even though as the CEO I could store my car there, would that signal to the workforce that I have integrity? The answer was clear-it would not.
That is just one example of how the leader sets the stage and the climate for a high-value culture. I know that people are watching me and taking their cues from my behavior.
And it is not just me as the CEO. All the leaders in your company have to live the values and the culture that you want to have. Otherwise, how do you expect anyone else to?
I can’t tell you how many companies I have seen that hang banners on the wall and then ignore them. And they wonder why everyone else does.
The future of any company rests in the younger and newer employees they hire. You want to make sure that all the leaders of your company set the right example for younger people to follow. Mentor them. Spend time with them. Celebrate with them when they follow the “company code.” Reward them when they do.
Your competition can duplicate almost anything you have. They can copy your products. They can court your customers. They can buy the same assets you buy. They can go to the market the same way you do. But one thing they can’t copy is your culture. Make sure you make it a culture by design-not default.