As a business owner, you are constantly building a culture within your company, whether you think you are or not. We hear about culture all the time, many stating that it is the reason that they stay at a job or school.

What makes a culture? How do you build a good culture? How do you sustain a good culture?

These are questions that every good leader must ask.

Plain and simple, a place that people want to go to and believe in makes a good culture. People are driven by what is bigger than themselves; even if the job is minimal, you can create great importance! In our organization, for example, we have Franchise Development – which is our outbound phone center. It’s easy for an employee to fall into the trap of thinking, “I’m just in the phone center, not that important.” But that can’t be further from the truth! Our Franchise Development reps are typically the first point of contact with our customers. Based on that 5- to 10-minute phone call, our customer will subconsciously decide if this is a company they want to work with or not. I think that makes the role of our reps extremely important! So, I tell them that and it makes them care more about their role.

What is that role in your organization? How can you make someone feel bigger than themselves? If you don’t know what your company culture is, ask your employees.

• What makes this a good or bad place to work?
• What would you change about the culture?
• What would you define the culture as?

Their answers will be eye-opening, to say the least.

Lastly, it is important to ask yourself – How do you sustain a culture? The answer is simple – By doing the things that drive the good culture.

If your culture is fast-paced and positive attitudes are key, reward that type of behavior when you see it and do it yourself! Set the example. Smile, enjoy what you do. Laugh and make others laugh around you!

Ultimately, you as the owner or manager drives the culture. Be the culture you want to see in your organization.