What kind of business would top-performers want to work for?

(Time to read this Blog article is about 90 seconds)

When coaching clients on creating a ‘winning culture’ that will attract, challenge, engage and retain top-performers, we use the following check-list to document a clear and specific description of what that culture would look like. Sit down with some of the best minds and hearts in your business and use this list of 12 questions to get clear and specific about what a ‘winning culture’ would look like in your business.

In our industry and our market, what kind of business would top-performers want to work for?

1. How would it…
   – recruit, hire and ‘on-board’ new employees,
   – pay,
   – communicate with and listen to,
   – train, coach, mentor,
   – empower,
   – inspire,
   – challenge,
   – promote,
   – thank, celebrate and ‘hug’ its team?
2. What would its employment policies be?
3. What commitments would it make to ensure a physically and emotionally safe place to be?
4. What would its clear values, ethics and standards be regarding customers, staff and the world at large.
5. How would it measure performance, reward performance and deal with non-performance?
6. What kind of freedom and flexibility would employees have to successfully integrate their work life and personal life?
7. Within the team, how would it balance competition with cooperation?
8. How would it create a culture of fairness, equality and transperency?
9. How would it create the sense joy and appreciation that makes hard work fun?
10. What would this business do to encourage respectful debate and courageous conversations?
11. What would its commitments be to family, personal growth, the community, volunteerism and the environment?
12. What would it ‘feel’ like to work there?

Now that you have better clarity about what a ‘winning culture’ would look like in your business, what decisions will you make and action will you take to make that happen in your business? For each action that you commit to, who will do what, by when, measured how? And, how will you, personally, follow-up to make sure it’s happening? Culture trumps strategy every time.