Jimmy Dean of Jimmy Dean Sausage said, “You can’t change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust the sails to reach your destination.”
What is happening during the pandemic may not be comfortable nor immediately welcomed by many of us. We have had to adapt to something that we did not see coming, may not entirely understand, and have little control over. A Black Swan. How your leaders behave and how your employees respond in a crisis may directly influence your bottom line and should tell you a lot about your culture.
Everything your employees do and the success you want to achieve as a business is influenced by your company’s culture. Decisions that impact your employees, from compensation plans and benefit design to recruiting tools and corporate policies, are most effective when they are made in alignment with the culture you wish to sustain. How well you meet your goals, achieve the results you desire and differentiate yourself from your competition is directly tied to the culture you foster.
If your company’s culture is strong, the unpleasant adjustments and tough decisions you make during a crisis will be understood and accepted by your employees. These are the same employees who have the greatest ability to impact your relationships with current and potential customers. If your culture is unintentional, you will likely see inconsistent performance and unpredictable results. To quote David Cummings, co-founder of Pardot, a marketing automation software company, “Corporate culture is the only sustainable competitive advantage that is completely within the control of the entrepreneur.” Well said.
How we conduct business today may very well be the new normal. If you are investing in your culture (the why behind your company’s existence, the connection employees feel to your purpose, the drive that happens because of alignment to your values) the wind will be at your back and you will continue to move forward in any environment. For those who aren’t sure how to chart that path, we can help.
CultureForward HR Consulting is a boutique consulting firm offering clients solutions to their human resources and strategic business needs. We work with you to establish and align the HR strategies needed to support your business plan.
Our value proposition is quite simple: We help you optimize your future performance by making an investment in your culture now. Our purpose is to help our clients maximize the results they want through effective human capital strategies grounded by a healthy corporate culture.
For more information, please visit our website, http://cultureforwardhr.com.
Sandra Lueders is the founder & principal consultant of CultureForward HR Consulting, LLC
