Five Ways to Fortify Your Culture

If a recent survey by Adecco Group is accurate, workers of all ages are beginning to explore job opportunities, with more than half of Millennial generation employees planning to look for different jobs as the economy begins to turn around. Now is a very good time for leaders to consider organizational culture as a retention tool.

With this post, I am assuming you have a strong and supportive culture but may not know how best to leverage it. Here are five ways:

1. Consistently articulate your culture. If you can do that, you can compellingly answer the question “Why should I stay here?” when your top employee asks. You can also incorporate your cultural message into marketing and recruiting collaterals, which creates consistency internally and externally.
2. Bring your personal values to work with you. Most of us view ourselves as decent, compassionate individuals who want everyone in our lives to do well and be happy. Remember that as you lead your team members – even those who challenge you – through the ups and downs of everyday business.
3. Hire for cultural fit above all else. When you know you have a great culture, keeping it great should be your top leadership priority. Hire for attitude instead of GPA, book of business, or community connections. Attitudes are absolutely viral. This works either to your organization’s benefit or detriment, depending on how you hire.
4. Reward behaviors that enhance the culture. Every day, if your culture is as good as you think it is, you’ll find someone demonstrating it. Open your eyes; when you see the real thing, reward the behavior with a simple thank you. Communicate what you know is true: that the individual exhibiting the right behavior is what makes your organization successful.
5. Get rid of those who clearly are a poor cultural fit. This seems to be the toughest thing for leaders. It often happens that the one or two bad seeds have some kind of perceived leverage on the organization. Maybe they’re great business developers. Maybe they’re excellent producers. But when they’re not making rain or crunching out billable time, they’re busy poisoning your culture. Many good people who represent your firm’s future will leave because of the poisonous minority.