The culture of your business is just like a dinner party. It’s the
feeling, the soul, the vibe and the unspoken rules that
ultimately drive the way your team interacts. It is also the
invisible force that drives your customer experience. The
company culture IS your brand.
When it comes to company culture, the leader is respon-
sible for some of it and the team is responsible for some of it
as well. As a leader, it’s your job to invite the right people, get
the lighting and music perfect, create the menu, and set the
table. Your team, acting as the guests, are responsible for their
response to that. You set the conditions and they react within
them. In that way, you get the culture you deserve.
Culture is a hot topic these days, especially in the spa
industry where filling open positions can be difficult, and
turnover is high. A positive culture at your business will
make it easy to recruit top talent, generate employee
engagement, boost sales and create a buzzworthy brand
regardless of the size of your marketing budget. You can’t wait
any longer to start getting intentional about culture.
Getting Started
If we stick with our dinner party analogy, then the first thing
that the guests experience is going to be the energy of the
hosts. Are they in a good mood or a bad mood? Do they
always welcome guests at the door with generous smiles and
warm hugs? Are they formal and accommodating? Each of
these different styles starts to create the culture of the event.
The same goes for the people who lead and manage the
business.
When I work with teams on improving company culture,
we always start with the management team. This is the area
that has the most impact for setting the conditions, habits,
and values of your team. Having the desired management
behaviors clearly defined and consistently executed is the
starting place of all healthy cultures.
You’d be surprised at the inconsistency in management
styles, behaviors, and values even within just a single location
business. The culture of your business starts with how
managers respond, act and behave. As you start to think
“In order for your employees to drive
the company culture in the right
direction, you’ve got to have a clearly
defined vision that properly sets the
table for success.”
January/February 2019
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PULSE
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