In order to solve issues to boost company culture, it’s important to first understand what they are. Below are some things that leaders at fast-growth organisations may want to take into consideration to ensure they can identify and fix problems before they grow.
How does your business solve problems?
If a business wants to nurture a good company culture then they need to solve issues quickly, before they have a chance to grow.
This means ensuring the right people are tasked with tackling certain issues. It is not a good idea for every decision to go through the CEO. People from across the business should feel able to step in and solve problems. Not only is this good for employee experience, but it also helps prevent the CEO from burning out.
As a leader, you should develop problem solving methods as a part of your company culture. This helps you develop consistency and means that when new problems arise, everyone is aware of the steps needed to solve them.
Do you have a good company hierarchy?
For a company to have a good culture, it’s important that it has a clear and defined hierarchy. This can help with decision making and helps everyone understand their key responsibilities. It can also show clear career paths for individuals who want to develop and grow over time.
If a business has a convoluted or unclear hierarchy, it can have the opposite effect. Leaders of fast growth organisations should therefore work to ensure that their managers are well-trained and that the structure of the business is optimised to get the best results possible.
Then, once all of this is in place, they should make sure that all team members are fully aware of the hierarchy, and feel confident that they understand the inner workings of their team and the teams around them.
Do your leaders lead by example?
When it comes to new start-ups, team members will always look up to their team leaders and emulate them.
This can be a gift when things are going well. However, if a CEO or other leaders are finding things tough, it can breed issues within the business. If a leader is struggling with certain things, these struggles may transfer to their team, and if a leader has certain bad habits, their team members may pick them up.
This means that it’s important that leaders are self-aware and understand their weaknesses as well as their strengths.
Leaders should ensure that they are empathetic, take responsibility for problems, do not act hypocritically, are approachable and open to feedback, and treat past and present employees with respect.
As fast-growth businesses continue to take on new staff, it’s vital that leaders are able to lead by example. If they do, this will only improve that all-important company culture that you’ve worked so hard to build.
Do you make use of one-on-ones?
If you want to instil a good company culture, then it’s vital that everyone feels listened to and understood. It’s easy for fast-growth businesses to focus on team outings and open discourse (these are both great by the way), but it is also vital that individuals are able to speak to their manager one-on-one.
One-on-ones are vital for fixing issues, coaching individuals, and allowing people to have the time and space to speak openly and privately about their progress and any problems they may have. All of this is so important for helping improve company culture across the organisation.
If a business does not implement one-on-ones then they may be on their way to losing their best people. Which can cause a high turnover of staff. Which moves us onto our next point…
Do you have a high turnover of staff?
A high turnover of staff is a good indicator that something may be wrong. If people continue to leave voluntarily, then they have come to the decision that another organisation offers more benefits than you do.
If many people are choosing to leave, then it is almost certainly a sign that something is up.
A constant turnover of staff is also poor for morale within the company. This can become a vicious cycle and can lead to yet more turnover.
A good business will be measuring turnover, so will be aware if it begins to increase. If you are unsure of your turnover, then this may also be a problem, and it could be a sign that you need to start measuring this data.
Companies should always be working to lower their rate of voluntary turnover. By doing so, you can improve morale, boost company culture, and get the most from your team.
Do you promote from within?
One way to ensure you keep hold of your best people, is to ensure you offer a path towards growth and career development.
It’s important that you understand your team members’ goals. You want your people to feel that they can achieve these goals at your business, so they don’t look elsewhere for opportunities.
One of the key ways of doing this is by promoting from within. This shows your team members that there are opportunities for them down the line, and means they will be more willing to invest their time and energy into your company moving forward.
This can help you keep hold of your best people for longer, and ensure that they work harder and more effectively as they continue to develop.
Here at alterniq inspired growth we offer top quality business coaching, bespoke development programmes/workshops and facilitation services to fast growth businesses. We provide all of these services to help leaders and team members at start-ups and scale-ups identify and solve issues like the ones mentioned in this blog post. If you’re interested in any of the services we offer, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.
Written by Adam Rowden, creative copywriter at alterniq inspired growth
<< Return to Insight page
