Paving the Way
Company culture runs deep with Graham Construction. They call it the Graham Way.
Graham Construction
Defining the culture
Every company has some kind of culture. Maybe it’s a culture that’s intended and maybe not, but still, some kind of culture exists. When our clients come to us, we start our discussion by really digging into what their culture actually is and what the leadership team actually wants or had hoped for. These discussions are sometimes rough because the leadership team finds they’ve got some work to do to reset their culture so it aligns better with their mission statement and other unique differentiators.
What does your current culture look, sound, and feel like?
When was the last time your leadership team truly experienced what your company is like for the new hires, the experienced workers, the HR, Marketing, or Sales team? Do you ask for feedback from all of your customers about how they experience your company, products, or services? And is that feedback authentic and truthful? Even if it’s the horrible, we-dropped-the-ball kind of feedback?
Before you can create a video about your culture, you should probably have a realistic handle on how those that experience your company actually feel. If you release a video promoting a culture that is not who and what you are, your customers, your employees, and your competitors will see right through your messaging and lose trust. When a company finds themselves spending a lot of resources trying to maintain their customers, often there is some problem within your culture. Identify and root it out immediately.
Who are the champions of your culture?
The best people to tell your company’s culture story is…not you! Find those individuals that have to put up with the leadership’s decision-making skills, styles, and directions and let their voices be heard! What do they say keeps them coming to work day after day? Why do they continue to offer incredible customer service and support customers? Why do they inspire and motivate others to excel at their own job? Or from your customer’s perspective, why do they choose your company over your competitors? Has your customer had a personal and meaningful experience after interacting with your company?
It’s about emotional stories that take us on a journey of before and after or problem and solution. Remember that your business is filled with other humans that have needs and wants. Take the time to hear and reflect on the impact your company has had on people in meaningful ways.
What action, mindset, or behavior do you want those that experience your culture to have?
Over time, culture can be a fluid, moving target to pin down. The culture your company may have embraced when first started may be a thing of the past with respect to today’s needs.
When you think of your culture, how does it manifest in others? Do employees support one another without being asked? Do you find products and services are being refined in subtle ways due to customer feedback or informal review cycles by your employees? When your customers and employees talk about your company, how do they describe it to someone else? Positive and glowing reviews or something more negative? Or even worse, they don’t care and say nothing at all. Your company doesn’t even warrant a positive or negative feeling.
Take some time to look at your mission statements, values, rules of engagement and anything else your customers and employees might use to define and understand your company culture. Start making a list of actions taken, mindsets created, or distinct behaviors and individuals connected to them.
How do you know if your desired culture and actual culture are one and the same?
This is the most important question to resolve before moving forward with any visual communication solution. Hopefully, by working through the first three questions, you now have more data to make answering this question easier.
