Mission statements. Core values. These are the guiding principles that capture the essence of our businesses, articulating who we are, what we do, and why we do it. But these words on paper are only effective if they translate into everyday action.
That action is something we’re deliberate about at Shamrock: We work to align our actions—to not only do what we say we’re going to do, but to be thoughtful and deliberate about how we approach that work, and one another. In doing so, we’ve created a unique corporate culture.
By its definition, corporate culture is the beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions. Every company has its own culture. Some good, some not so good.
So, how do you create and nurture a dynamic and engaging corporate culture? I have a few thoughts:
Define your purpose.
If you want your employees to be inspired, they need to feel like there is a bigger purpose to their work and that their contributions make a difference. To accomplish this, start by defining your values and beliefs and then actively communicate them to all employees. This will set the standard and guide all internal communications and decision making.
This quote from Simon Sinek sums up the value of working with purpose: “If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.”
Share your vision.
Clients care about your beliefs, as well. “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” (Simon Sinek) So, be creative about including your clients in your work—invite them to be part of charitable events, use social media to share and engage them in your campaigns and encourage their participation. (On the flip side, offer to contribute and lend a hand in their efforts, as well!)
Get specific.
At Shamrock, we believe in being much more than a company that provides great marketing-related products and services. We believe in helping individuals and companies perform at their highest levels.
So, what does that look like? How do we provide the support to drive that performance?
We focus our work on four areas (or audiences) in order to accomplish our mission, all of which shape our culture by validating what’s most important to us as a company. We’ve identified these as our primary pillars:
- Individual employees
- Our Company and how we work together
- The communities and charities that we support
- Our clients and how we serve them
In next week’s blog, I’ll break down each of these important groups and identify the programs we’ve implemented to support them.
