Commercial Integrator July 2022 - 12

AV AS A BUSINESS
Connecting Company Culture
and Acquiring Top Talent
The Great Resignation means that your culture is more important than ever. By Don Mastro
A QUICK ONLINE SEARCH of " company
culture " yields millions of results, all of which
defi ne the concept a little bit diff erently. But,
in the simplest terms, culture is how an employee
feels on Sunday night. Do they look
forward to Monday morning and the week
ahead? Or, conversely, do they dread it?
Getting Clear on Culture
For years, we've been sold the idea that
culture centers on workplace extras -
things like colorful and fun workspaces, free
meals, ping-pong tables and relaxed dress
codes. Many of the great company cultures
of the world, such as those of Apple, Salesforce,
Google, Microsoſt , HubSpot and
Meta, off er perks like these.
Yet, when you listen to employees talk
about why they leave their jobs, you'll hear
reasons like poor leadership, inadequate
compensation, lack of challenges, the
absence of a meaningful career path, poor
work/life balance, and the lack of opportunity
to learn, develop and grow on the job.
These criticisms help identify the cultural
attributes that, in fact, help companies
attract and retain talent.
Listen Carefully
The best ideas about how to innovate and
meet your customers' needs usually come
from your team members. Making sure that
employees can share their ideas - especially
with leadership - is another cornerstone
of a healthy culture.
Provide employees with big, meaningful
opportunities to share what's on their minds,
and then back them up with your day-to-day
behaviors. You'll make a diff erence.
Lead Thoughtfully
Employees who work under great leaders
tend to be happier, more productive and
more connected within their organization.
This has a ripple eff ect that contributes
directly to the company's bottom line. But,
yet, so many employees feel under-ap12
Commercial
Integrator JULY 2022
Company culture goes well beyond having fun workspaces. Off ering employees
an avenue to share their ideas is an important culture-building element in
successful companies.
preciated right now. The reasons are
numerous, and they include the following:
› not getting clear direction
› not sensing their manager's trust
› not having enough feedback or support
› not feeling that their eff orts and their
time are respected
Great leaders hire the right employees
for the right positions. Then, they provide
clear objectives, off er regular coaching and
feedback, empower employees to meet
those objectives and get out of the way.
Set the Tone
Employees feel more motivated to achieve
their goals when their managers help them
thrive and provide positive reinforcement.
This doesn't have to be complicated. It can
be as simple as sending an upliſt ing email
about an employee's job performance.
You can also be positive when things aren't
going so well. This is where leaders in
the most successful company cultures make
a considerable impact. They're confi dent
enough to transparently admit their own
mistakes, and they have suffi cient confi -
dence in their team to accept with grace
when others also make mistakes.
Are you setting an open tone? Are you
transparent and candid? Are you providing
the kind of positive energy that
employees look for in their careers? If so,
you're helping to build the type of culture
that's required to retain top talent.
Take Personal Responsibility
True culture - the kind that isn't manufactured
and that doesn't only appear as
words on the wall - is inherent in everything
a company does.
As we move out of the pandemic and wait
to see how the Great Resignation unfolds,
we're sure to face challenges ahead. But there
will also be opportunities to create and sustain
fl ourishing cultures that demonstrate that
we value our employees and our customers.
In my experience, this begins with asking
yourself one simple question: How can I
contribute to this culture today? Ponder that
question frequently. Then, take personal
responsibility to make your organization a
great place to work. That is how you can
build an organization with a true competitive
diff erentiator to attract and retain talent.
Don Mastro is vice president of
sales at AVI Systems and an
NSCA board member. Learn
about becoming an NSCA
member at NSCA.org.
commercialintegrator.com
REDPIXEL/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
http://www.NSCA.org http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator July 2022

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