Whether you lead a church, business, non-profit, educational or athletic organization, every leader wants a healthy culture. We talk about it. We hire for it. We do everything possible to create environments people LOVE to spend time at.
Bryan Miles, Co-Founder and CEO of BELAY Solutions is one of my favorite leaders. In conjunction with the release of his incredible book Virtual Culture: The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore., he recently wrote on the topic of creating a healthy organizational culture. I wanted to share his thoughts with you.
Also, if you do not yet have your copy of Bryan’s book, I cannot recommend it enough. You can get it Here or on Bryan’s picture to the right. Doesn’t he look happy to be at work? Now onto his thoughts.
Company culture.
What makes it? What sustains in? What kills it?
Years ago, we discovered something pretty spectacular at BELAY: Culture doesn’t depend on your space—it depends on your people. Think of a church. The physical building doesn’t make the church. In fact, many churches around the world don’t even have buildings. They meet in homes or at coffee shops or at schools. It’s their common connection that holds them together, not their location.
Why should it be any different in the business world?
Culture is based on a shared vision. And if that vision is passed down effectively throughout your organization, it doesn’t matter if you share a desk or live across the ocean from one another. What matters is healthy communication and a common language. No, we don’t mean speaking English or Spanish. We mean having a common set of values.
In BELAY’s case, our vision is to provide world-class virtual assistance to companies across the country. And we trust our 600-plus employees to carry out that vision as if they owned the place.
We may work in separate locations, but we have shared values of gratitude, teamwork, vision, passion, fun and God. As long as we’re all on the same page in these areas, we’re going to succeed and serve our customers well.
Need another reason?
Plus, when your entire team works remote, you have the added bonus of cutting down on unintentional “culture killers” like redundant meetings and water-cooler gossip. As your employees become increasingly satisfied with the flexibility of their careers, they also become increasingly happy with their careers.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that happier employees tend to be kinder, more compassionate, and more productive employees as well. Our team members are living proof of this!
Company culture is connected to your vision.
The people you hire will determine your culture. As a leader, your job is to share your vision and values with these fantastic folks. They’ll do the rest. And your customers will certainly benefit from this top-down value system and keep coming back. That’s what culture is all about—sharing wins and growing together.
Want more?
Check out more from Bryan Miles in his brand-new book, Virtual Culture: The Way We Work Doesn’t Work Anymore.