Why People and Culture are Important to Your Business

What makes your business special? 

Maybe you sell shoes. Maybe you make apps. Maybe you’re a marketer. Maybe you’re in personal branding.

Well, a lot of businesses are probably doing something similar.

The difference between them and you? There are a few, including quality of product or service, communication, your marketing.

But all of these differences are underpinned by the most important asset of a company: your people, and your culture.

What Makes up a Company’s Culture?

A company culture is its mission, expectations and work atmosphere. These things can be intentionally or unintentionally put into place, but it is obviously best to work actively on creating a positive culture.

That means defining company values and genuinely living up to them – right up to management level. As a leader, you’re setting the tone for company culture.

Clear expectations for all employees are part of good company culture, while bad company culture often means unclear deadlines, blurred lines between roles, and a feeling that team members can’t ask for help or clarity. 

Being consistent (or not) is also part of culture. Suddenly calling everyone back into the office five days a week has given a huge knock to the cultures of many companies in 2022, for example.

How People Shape Culture and Culture Shapes People

When your company culture is clearly communicated, people will follow it. New hires will gravitate towards the job because of the stated culture, and the culture they see through social media or when they interview. And they will be keen to fit in, and join in, when they become part of a solid team. 

A strong company culture will also mean team members stick around longer. One Columbia University study indicates that a strong company culture reduces churn. By a lot. Levels of job turnover at a business with identifiable, positive company culture is just 13.9 percent, while turnover in companies where culture is lacking or negative is 48.4 percent. This is particularly important now, as Millennials have been found to value work culture above other factors when choosing a job – and that trend seems likely to continue through Gen Z, who have similar views on work to younger millennials.

A good company culture should be flexible, and reviewed from time to time. If your team feel ownership over shaping culture, they’re more likely to adhere to it. Add to it. Build it. Live it. 

How to start building a culture? You need to decide what your company values are. You need to let the world know. And you need to live them. 

At Jago, for example, we:

• Put people first
• Think big
• Make it happen
• Actively listen
• Be authentic

Why Personal Branding is Key to a Positive Culture, and a Great Team

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of positive company culture comes from good leadership. And good leadership comes from credibility and trust – people won’t follow a leader they don’t believe in!

A personal brand means you’re building trust at every level. Customers and clients, new team members, and even your competition will gain trust in you and your capabilities if you have a strong, positive personal brand. In turn, that personal brand should reflect the culture of your business.

But personal branding isn’t just for owners or the C-suite. Elevate talent within your business by helping them develop their personal brands (everyone has one, but they may need help defining it and building it up), and encourage the whole team to be more confident and harness their by thinking about their own personal brands and how they could use them.

This is something that Jago are doing with Clifford Chance – our workshops with them supported a team of senior managers to own their purpose, get comfortable with their personal brand, and show up with it consistently at work. 

If you want to centre people and culture in your business by focusing on personal branding for yourself or your team, why not take our personal brand health check or get in touch to find out more.

take our personal brand health check