Why a Healthy Company Culture Matters So Much

Jul 31

If someone were to ask me what I think about company culture, I’d argue that culture is everything.

I didn’t always have that view, but I sure do now. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned on company culture:

Culture is always changing.

One thing is for sure: the “work” (or the intention) you bring to supporting a healthy company culture never ceases. There’s no such thing as a day where we can sit back and say, “Well, now we have a healthy company culture, so the work can stop!”

I’ve learned how an organization’s culture is always in flux, almost by definition. Daily actions, responses, decisions, and even the things you don’t do impact culture—for better or for worse, every day.

Healthy company culture requires healthy conflict.

Does your company encourage healthy conflict and dialogue? Or do people fear sharing their opinions? Are people open and collaborative with problems or issues they are facing, or do they welcome input and collaboration, even if it does mean inviting a difference in opinion?

I’ve come to recognize that a healthy company culture includes the ability to have hard conversations. Having been through challenging conversations, looking back, I can say that some of those tough conversations should have happened…well, much earlier. I don’t want to diminish those situations, but I can say that I’ve learned that maintaining a healthy company culture involves honesty, coupled with empathy—and not neglecting to have those so-called “tough” conversations.

Engaged employees are indicative of a healthy company culture.

Ever notice that companies that have a great culture also have employees that are quite enthusiastic about their company, too? They have a sort of energy about them, and you can tell they care deeply and sincerely about what they do.

A healthy company culture attracts likeminded, top talent.

Being in the onboarding space, we recognize how much energy organizations exert towards recruiting, hiring, and onboarding. To that end, though, many companies are often forgetting about the most effective tool in hiring: your company culture attracting top talent.

With some of these lessons top of mind for me, here are a few questions I’m asking about our own culture right now:

Are we continuing to honor our values as we grow?
Are we delaying having any conversations that we ought to be having?
Are there are any cultural “blind spots” I/we should be aware of?
What does it look like to have healthy accountability in our company in this new season for us?
Do we have a culture where people would want to invite their friends or others in their network to be a part of the team?