Pay Attention to Your Business Culture

The basis for attracting, recruiting, employing and retaining good people is in and around three factors.

The person must have:

• One - The right skills – including competencies, knowledge and experience
• Two - Behave in ways that enable them to work effectively with others
• Three - The resources and the tools that they need to do their job

Although all of these factors are important, the second of these critical factors - the way people behave, that is, relate to each other, treat each other and how they get the job done - is of far greater importance over the long term than the other two.

Experience and evidence clearly show that the employment contract is most potent when it is a best-fit for the "culture of our businesses." It is not just that the job gets done, but that it gets done in a way which is in keeping with the values that the business holds. This is the real point of difference between the high-performing, sustainable business and the mediocre, low-performing one.

When this value base is aligned and compatible with the personal values of the people that we employ, we create a dynamic culture where "everybody is singing from the same song sheet," and work is highly need-satisfying and deeply personally-rewarding.

Managing and paying attention to the culture of our organization are critical in getting the right people in our business, doing the right things, in the right ways.