The saying goes, “80% of the problems are caused by 20% of the people”. It’s true and proven. The strongest influences in your business will set the pace for the culture, and it’s not always the person leading the team.

Every business has a culture, so the first question to ask yourself is, “what is the culture of my business?”. Be honest. If you want to get some humbling feedback, ask your staff or customers to describe the culture of your business. The second question then becomes, “is this the culture I want?”.

The Foundation

Culture is one of the 3 foundational pieces that supports a solid business and molds the other two pieces of leadership and communication. When the culture of the business is overlooked, it is only a matter of time before the issues start to arise. Often it happens quietly and many times is the cause of turnover, workplace toxicity and low productivity.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from business owners and employees alike is about workplace drama and toxicity. It leads to mental and physical health issues, and spreads like a cancer.

Understand the Why

Many businesses set the right intentions by creating “core values” and “mission statements” within their businesses, unfortunately they often only live on paper. I have yet to meet a business owner that intentionally set out to have a poor business culture. These problems often arise out of growth and adding more people into the mix.

Poor placement upon hire can lead to disengagement and do serious damage to a good culture. Not having a full understanding of your own leadership strengths can also unintentionally pull the culture down, creating communication gaps and resentment among staff.

The good news is, this is all fixable and preventable!

Objective Solutions

When you can get to a place of honesty within your business, you can assess the issues from a more objective place. By taking the steps to understand those already in your business and then working on leadership from that place, communication and culture will follow! There is a strategy and a solution! You simply need an open mind and the right tools.

After you work from the foundation up, the final step is preservation. Establish a healthy culture and you will cherish the duty of protecting it fiercely. Hire right, lead with your strengths and know where the individuals in your team shine and feed THAT!