Part 3 of a 3 part blog series
Click here for Part 1 and Part 2
In this final of our 3-part series, where we take a close inspection of the power of company culture to better motivate, engage and drive your contingent workers, we’re focusing squarely on the unique element of your business that sets you apart from all others: your people.
The best technologies, process improvements, management consultant theories and marketing strategies all go a long way to making your business commercially competitive, even market leader. However, when rubber hits the road, your ability to make the most of any business strategy is by virtue of your people.
Stands to reason then, in this final article, that we hone in on your key differentiator: your people.
Three Elements of Company Culture, that You Need to Stay Focused On. ALWAYS!
Element 1: The Team
When your people are disengaged, they tend to operate in isolation. Not in unison, and not with a shared vision.
They focus only on their OWN backyard, their OWN output, and their OWN wins. And it’s because they’re not happy. They don’t gel with the environment that is the culture of your business. They don’t see value in it.
This means that you, as a hiring manager, HR leader or business owner, are set with a massive task of – put simply – duplication. Where you’re keeping the engine of your business running by engaging individuals to ensure they’ve got what they need, they’re delivering, they’re performing. It’s impossible to do this successfully at a ‘team’ level when your people are disengaged. So your day turns to dust.
Imagine what this is costing your business from a contingent worker productivity perspective!
Hence, by staying focused on your culture where the values are authentic; the attitudes and actions of the leadership team reflect these values; and where the people feel empowered, recognised and respected as individuals, as well as part of a successful team, you’ve got the foundations of a strong, unified and productive culture and business. Game on!
Element 2: Fear and Trust
No beating around the bush here, fear and trust are the KEY factors that will positively drive or absolutely disengage your workforce. Touchy elements, for sure. But a brave leadership will allay fear and build trust in a way that instigates respect, motivation and productivity.
BOOM!
A positive company culture will not shy away from fear and trust.
Where there’s little trust, and much fear, the benchmarks for company success are invariably more tactical, as the big picture is way too daunting. So the focus becomes numbers on a spreadsheet. Timesheets. Daily outputs. TASKS.
Instead, if the business leadership can recognise and be truthful about fear & trust – the bases for company culture – like they do the P&L, operations & marketing strategy, great power will be at their hands, as they can manage their human engine with greater authenticity and clarity.
Harnessing the energy of your business is key. And a positive energy – a positive culture – will keep your people’s engagement, genuine interest and a keen willingness to deliver at an absolute high.
You see what happened there? We’ve managed to BOOST the output of your contingent workers, by culture alone (it’s not easy, we recognise that). So…. get to it, and get real about fear & trust.
Element 3: Culture as Job Benefit
We’ve all heard the stories about what a great place Google is to work. Or Facebook. Or any mainstream ad agency (in the 90’s, that is! :-))
When you’ve got a culture that hits the winning trifecta – powerful, pervasive and positive – it actually becomes the essence of your employer brand (not so for a negative culture!) and a major benefit to your people. They LOVE working there. They WANT to be part of your team. They’ll DELIVER beyond!
Hence, the opportunity to really boost the value of your business with your workers – of course, this includes your contingent workers – is by demonstrating the value of your culture. You don’t need to be Google to achieve this. Cultural benefits that are consistent, inclusive, fun, memorable, rewarding and authentic will all drive a positive mindset and a positive experience for all workers.
In Summary
We know cultural shift isn’t easy. And there’s no silver bullet. Every organisation has different cultural challenges and needs. But if your leadership team is honest with themselves about the business culture, if they’re brave enough to take on cultural challenges directly and with positive action, and if they’re truly willing to get real about it, then you’ve got yourself a rock star cultural essence that will benefit EVERY category of worker.
