Employees and customers are going to be more powerful than ever. Long gone are the days when employers think that employees merely select an organization for the sake of a paycheck. There are several other factors that go into the equation and culture is one of them. The workplace has become a social venue where people look forward to interacting with others and being part of something more meaningful, something that gives them a sense of direction, something worth spending their energy on. This is exactly where an organization’s culture comes into play.
In my professional journey, I’ve been lucky enough to have experienced being the CEO of a bootstrapped, start-up company that grew and transitioned into a small to medium-sized enterprise. Cultures were drastically distinct at different stages of the company.
I admit, in the early stage of my career as a CEO of a start-up company, I never focused on optimizing the culture of the company as much as I should have. Later in my career, I’ve realized more than ever, that culture is a powerful element that can shape an organization. It is the organization’s true lifeline—one’s culture can make or break a business, regardless if it is just a start-up, small or a mid-sized company. Fostering an employee-friendly culture leads to a happy workforce, which is a key to the success of any organization. But an employee-friendly culture doesn’t come overnight. It takes time, requires constant effort, and starts with the executives. Yes, I strongly believe that the leaders of an organization, particularly the CEOs, are the ones who set the tone and influence the development of any organizational culture. It needs to start from the top before it can trickle down to the bottom.