Do you understand the connection between great leadership and high-performing employees?
If you’re looking for a way to boost productivity at your business, look no further than company culture. The culture of your company trickles down from its leaders. Your role as CEO or brand owner is how you set the tone for your brand. Your words, actions and ideas serve as the examples that will either motivate and excite employees into action or send them running for the hills.
A lot of good people are bad managers and poor leaders. Being a leader is a very particular type of relationship made even more specific by your industry and the nature of your business. Do what you say and be mindful of your workplace environment.
Your company culture has a direct impact on:
- Stress Levels
- Employee Performance and Retention
- Hiring and Scaling Up
- Public Perception of Your Company
- The Success of Your Business
- …and More
1. Forward-Thinking Solutions
A healthy company culture encourages conversation, problem-solving and innovation. Employees need to know they can come to each to inquire about aspects of the business or to ask for support on projects. They need to know they can rely on each other and that they’re in a safe environment where their questions and comments are always welcome.
When employees don’t feel they’re free to address their needs, talent become silent and the learning process and growth are stunted.
It’s difficult to solve a problem with a bad attitude. You’re in the business of solving problems – problems for your business, problems for your customers and problems for your employees. It’s impossible to perform at the highest levels of creativity without a good attitude and positive outlook.
Finally, if you’re not excited, your employees won’t perform to the best of their abilities. Embody what you’d like to see throughout your company and your team will show up for you.
2. Employee Retention
Poor company cultures drive away employees. If you want to retain your talent, treat them well and foster an environment of learning and growth. High turnover rates are expensive, requiring significant money and time to find replacements to pick up where former employees left off. What’s more, high turnover rates at your business will indicate a lack of organization and a potentially problematic culture. This can lead you to miss out on desirable potential hires.
People who have a good time at work and feel supported and valued are people who stay. They’re also more efficient. Most people don’t want to jump from job to job. They want stability and they want to contribute to a greater goal and want to feel good about it.
3. Stress Management and Wellness
Startup culture lean towards an over-inflated sense of urgency that leads to bad leadership, bad CEOs and burned out employees. Maintain a calm and cool perspective to be a good leader. It’s also important to value your team and treat them with fairness. Don’t treat your staff like cogs in a wheel- assign projects responsibly and appreciate their contributions.
A lot of entrepreneurs get into business to do what they do best. They begin as practitioners and eventually segue into CEOs. Some people will always want to be practitioners. They’re good at smaller projects or specializations and they hire others for executive leadership. Others want to lead and grow. Understand your strengths, weaknesses and goals and choose the most apt role whenever possible. If you’re not the best leader, you don’t have to be CEO.
Next Steps: Fine-Tune Your Leadership Skills
- “7 Characteristics of Successful Fashion Entrepreneurs”
- “How to Attract and Retain Top Talent as You Grow”
- “5 Tasks You Should Never Delegate”
Looking for executive leadership coaching? Get in touch. We work with startups, growth stage businesses and enterprise companies alike. Call us at 310-957-5264 or email hello@scalingretail.com.