Creating A Healthy Culture Is Just Smart Business

“It doesn’t matter how small or large your business is it is the leadership’s responsibility, whether it is the owner or your manager to create an environment where everyone takes care of each other. Do not sacrifice people for the numbers. In reality, when things go bad in your business it is the people, you hire, who will rescue your business.”

There is a common thread when these entrepreneurs – David Mead and Walter O’Brien were interviewed by Colin on The Daily Grind Business Podcast–  They realize the importance of having a company culture that is great.

As David Mead mentioned, the people you hire will work sub‑optimally if there is politicking or infighting in your business. An environment of this nature creates distrust and unhappiness and rather than your employees doing their jobs they are working most of the time just watching their own backs.

To create a company culture of cooperation he believes that owners in businesses need to shift their mindset from what “their business does” to “why they are doing it.”

This paradigm shift allows people in their organization to spend their time and energy working together toward a higher cause that ultimately inspires them. They are so inspired that they are excited about going to work. Injecting a level of humanity into your business will lead to trust and loyalty and as a result, co-operation amongst your employees will be strong.

This is not a crazy and idealized philosophy because many successful organizations are exactly implementing this strategy. The leading companies today such as Google, Nike and Whole Foods are giving people a reason to come to work, not just a place to go to work.

Walter Obrien’s company’s success is due to creating this environment.

This entrepreneur created a blueprint for cooperation in companies working with highly intelligent employees (IQ) and people with high emotional intelligence (EQ).

He owns and runs a high tech company that employs people with diverse backgrounds and work-styles. He understands that people with strong emotional intelligence are more successful than those with high IQ’s because they have the ability to connect with their co-workers better than people with high IQ’s.  However, people with high IQ’s are able to solve the complex innovative problems that he needs.

Here are his strategies for creating a company culture that is healthy and thriving:

• He hires people with high EQ to mentor and manage the people with high IQ with the expectations to improving their EQ. If they can improve their EQ then their relationships at home will improve and their ability to empathize with their other co-workers will dramatically increase.
• To keep their highly intelligent people motivated he gives them totally unrelated projects to work on.
• To keep them feeling stable in their jobs he gives them 3 projects to work on at one time. If one stops then they will only lose 1/3 of their pay.
• Another unique strategy that he implements because a lot of people think their boss is an idiot is having the people with high EQ report to his people with high IQ. They may not like their boss but at least they will not look upon them as an idiot.

Creating a healthy culture in your new business is just smart business. Research has shown that “Inspired” employees generate 225% of the productivity that employees who are merely “satisfied” do. * From the Conscious Company Magazine, Vol 15, September 2017

Whatever business you plan to open, think about how you can create a healthy working environment in your business so the people that you have hired and trained wants to work for you. You need a plan.

In the end, Profit still sits at center, but it is no longer the only priority in good business.