Executive Network Advice Library

Corporate Culture

The culture: your business inevitably has one, so make yours intentional. A positive corporate culture helps businesses attract and retain loyal employees. Your culture also plays a key role in staff motivation and creativity – essential aspects of any business.

The tone should come from the top. The most successful companies intentionally promote a culture that’s based on shared values, needs and ideals. 

Here are some ideas for a positive corporate culture:

1. Make it your mission to share your mission – Convey your firm’s core values at every opportunity, both in person and in writing, through newsletters, employee handbooks, your company’s intranet and training materials.

2. Be upfront about challenges – The next time you face a problem, such as negative customer feedback, encourage your employees to come up with ways to solve it. They will appreciate having a voice, and you’ll benefit from their good ideas. 

3. Empower employees – Don’t do all the talking in meetings or lead all the projects. Tap people for input and help them grow by giving them more responsibility and opportunities to advance. 

4. Get creative – Set aside time for your team to brainstorm on set topics throughout the year, such as, cost-saving ideas or ways to make the business more green. If you can’t implement ideas right away, keep them in a visible place so you don’t forget them.

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"We need to encourage our teams to develop their judgement so they have trust in themselves and their experience when it comes to making decisions."

Alan Lunt, Finance Director