A company’s success is greatly dependent on its leadership culture. It doesn’t matter how many bells and whistles it has, or what the external perception of the business may be, if the cultural climate of the business isn’t sound, then rocky days inevitably lie ahead.
History is littered with examples of failed companies whose leadership cultures have undermined their potential to flourish, or when change management has been implemented far too late. Fortunately, with the right management at the helm dedicated to setting and maintaining a positive tone for all leaders to fulfil their potential and lead by example, businesses have the ability to weather storms, innovate, and meet their objectives.
No matter how well versed they are in the language of their industry, business owners and their leaders – current and future – benefit greatly from regularly refreshing their education around strategic business transformation and change management principles as no business can afford to remain stagnant. Courses like eCampus NZ’s Business Transformation and Change provide invaluable insight into how to be an effective change agent in approaching and addressing everything from deregulation and privatisation to globalisation and social renewal.
Some of the most valuable philosophies for enhancing the health and vibrancy of a business’ culture include:
Shared beliefs: staff crave feeling valued beyond receiving a paycheck each week and strong leaders recognise this. Establishing and revisiting a company’s narrative around its cultural beliefs and values is vital to fostering a sense of belonging and ongoing investment. It also helps attract like-minded talent.
Mentoring not micromanaging: great leaders are able to strike the right balance between offering guidance and autonomy. Staff members want to feel empowered to make the right decisions, but also want to be able to ask questions and seek feedback on their decision making.
Training and development: key to staff retention is helping staff to feel valued, and training and development is an important part of this. It provides an opportunity for staff to upskill and in turn gives them a greater sense of achievement and purpose which ultimately adds value to the organisation.
Measured accountability: setting realistic objectives and goals for individuals and the wider company along with putting transparent reporting mechanisms in place can be excellent for morale and productivity. Staff enjoy the feeling of reaching personal or company based milestones – which don’t just have to be rooted in financial progress, but can extend to measuring success around shared beliefs and culture