Uncommon Sense Learnings: Mind Your Own Business Principle

Mind Your Own Business is dedicated to thinking differently about company culture. Culture is often misunderstood and discounted as a touchy-feely component of business that belongs to Human Resources. It’s not intangible or fluffy, it’s not a vibe or the office décor—it’s one of the most important drivers to push long-term, sustainable success.

There are a plethora of articles written around how to motivate employees with creative company perks and feedback and reward systems, but they rarely work if the foundation for a strong company culture isn’t already in place. Company culture is a balanced blend of human psychology, attitudes, actions, and beliefs that when combined create pleasure or pain, or serious momentum or miserable stagnation. A strong culture flourishes with a clear set of values and norms that actively guide the way the company operates.

Four Uncommon Sense Learnings to help you think differently about your company culture.

Dynamic and Engaged Leadership
A vibrant culture is organic and evolving. It is fueled and inspired by leadership that is actively involved and informed about the realities of the business. These leaders genuinely care about the company’s role in the world and are passionately engaged. They are great communicators and motivators who set out clearly communicated vision, mission, values, and goals and create an environment for them to grow.

Living Values
It’s one thing to have beliefs and values spelled out in a frame in the conference room—it’s another to have genuine and memorable beliefs that are directional, alive and modeled daily throughout the organization. It’s important that departments and individuals are motivated and measured against the way they model the company values. And, to have a values-driven culture, hire people using those values as a filter. If you want your employees to embody the company culture, empower people and ensure every department understands what’s expected. Don’t just list your company’s values in a PowerPoint—bring them to life in people, products, spaces, at events, and in communications.

Responsibility and Accountability
Strong company cultures empower their people, recognize their talents, and give them a very clear role with responsibilities they’re accountable for. It’s amazing how basic this is, but how absent the principle is in many businesses.

Celebrate Success and Failure
Most companies that run at speed often forget to celebrate their victories both big and small, and they rarely have time or the humility to acknowledge and learn from their failures. A good reminder that, like most things in life, the effort you put in to your company culture is directly correlated to what you and your team get out of it.