I have worked in many different companies and office environments. 33 jobs to be exact. My career has been almost exclusively contract work at companies ranging from small family run businesses with 2-5 employees to large national/international companies with thousands of employees. Every company has a unique culture because every company has different people, different missions and different leadership styles. In some of these companies people thrive and are excited to come to work everyday. Others have people simply exchanging their time for dollars. Sometimes I’d find both these two types of people in the same company but in different departments.
As I was reflecting on my career, I realized cultural fit was more important to me than the work I was doing. Being in the right environment gave me the motivation to not only do my job, but it encouraged me to go above and beyond in my everyday duties. This got me thinking about corporate culture. I wanted to know what made a positive corporate culture resulting in happy and engaged employees and I also wanted to know what characteristics to look for in my next manager and how I could be a better leader and manager myself going forward.
Through my research of various articles and books, it came to my attention that a strong corporate mission and strong values are the cornerstone of any company. If crafted carefully, these two elements have the ability to boast high engagement and turn companies into a great place to work. Mission statements are about the why and express the purpose of the company. Values are about the how. They dictate the behaviours, policies and procedures that bring that mission to life.
Most companies are clear on their mission. It is typically the reason that the founders began the company in the first place. What is typically unclear is the how to achieve that mission and in some companies without strong values, the how changes as a company grows and expands. This doesn’t always align with the people in the organization, which leads to low employee morale and a lost opportunity for the founders to capitalize on their human resources.
I know for my friends, colleagues, and myself, it is important to feel appreciated, valued, and respected at work. You want to know that you aren’t wasting your time or skills. As I reflected more on the company culture I wanted to be a part of, I began to see myself as an agent of change.
I wanted to help companies discover their values and provide them with a plan of how to reflect those values in their policies and procedures to create more positive and inclusive cultures resulting in more engaged and productive employees.
This proprietary workshop combines my theatre and improvisational comedy training and my business background. The result is a fun, collaborative and insightful workshop that produces tangible results, not typical of other teambuilding workshops. What started out as a research project has turned into a calling that I am very excited to share with the corporate world.
I invite you to join me on this journey and together, we can create a truly unique, inclusive corporate culture that fits the needs of your people and your organization.