Why Company Culture is Critical in 2019

There are quite a few people in our workspace who love the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. Maybe you’ve seen it, or maybe not, but there is a theme we see throughout every season. It’s the moment when a patient’s heartbeat stops, and the doctors frantically work to revive their patient. At that moment the doctors work to maintain a steady heartbeat to ensure the life of the patient.

Similarly, we see a similar theme in many organizations. Your company culture is the heartbeat of your organization. When it suffers, your organization as a whole suffers. Your employees are the heart of your organization – they are the life source of your company.

So, the million-dollar question is: How can you create an engaging culture in your workspace? Building an engaging and successful company culture is critical to your company’s success in 2019.

Did you know a good culture isn’t simply the feel-good part of business filled with lots of happy hours and perks? Good culture takes thoughtful consideration and innovation to cultivate and sustain while aiding company growth. Studies repeatedly demonstrate that culture trumps compensation. In this upcoming year, it is vital for leaders to understand the importance of creating a culture that is in great health.

Why does culture matter in business this upcoming year? We’ll break it down for you:

Culture is the Heartbeat

What if your organization took a step back and looked at the highs and lows? What is working and what isn’t? What is hurting you and what is helping you? We call this the “Heart Check.” This exercise allows you to identify pain points within your culture that need to be addressed. As organizations, we first and foremost must understand the vital importance of our employees. If they are not doing well, your company is not doing well. By identifying places where your organization can take steps toward growth, you can drastically change the health of your company. This could be as simple as the leadership team having one-on-one meetings to check in with their teams, or having vision-casting meetings to forecast upcoming events.

Culture isn’t Self-Sustaining

Culture and hard work are not mutually exclusive.  The two have to flow in cohesion for your company to thrive. Incredible company culture takes a team willing to get in the trenches of the problems and work to achieve better results. A stagnant culture is one where each individual pursues self over the organization, ultimately cultivating a toxic environment where the vision of the team diminishes for the sake of the individual. Culture doesn’t foster greatness overnight, it takes people showing up and consistently fighting for better results than what they currently have – together.

Culture is Infinite.  

The seeds you cultivate in your workspace today will flourish into change in the future. However, culture isn’t a quick fix or band-aid solution for your organizational structure. Integrating efficient and effective company culture is an ongoing process. You may have heard the saying “Life isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon”. The same goes for your company’s culture. It takes time to spark change, but over time you will begin to see a major difference.

Culture is a major organizational player in 2019. It’s time for culture to come off the back-burner of recruitment pitches. It speaks as loudly as any other benefit that companies offer. Make your culture a priority.