Why is culture important?
Taelor Pleas: Companies have to tap into one of three things to be successful: you have to either be first, best, or different. We are not the first salon nor the best salon in the country (even though we are really really good), but we ARE different.
Coral Pleas: Our culture is what makes us different. A company’s culture has to be clear, consistent, and most importantly, communicated. It is the idea that everyone in our company should be clear on the goal, and how to achieve it. Everyone in your brand should know about your history and why you do things the way that you do. Culture is the backbone of any company.
TP: If culture is the backbone of a company, then the Achilles heel is a staff infection. Literally! What do staff infections do? They spread. If someone on your staff does not share your vision and values, that is an infection that will eat away at your productivity, profitability, and will bring other team members down in the process.
CP: If your team does not have clarity on what your culture is and someone in your team is failing within your system, you need to ask yourself what could I have done as the head of the company and as the brand manager to make sure that everyone has clarity on what the culture needs to be.
How do you create a strong culture?
CP: Communication and accessibility. We have to clearly communicate who we are, how we got here, and where we are going. Our company’s values and vision are clearly defined in our manual, and every team member can access it online in a private members-only website. We all have to be aiming at the same target, and it is our job to show them how.
TP: We also lead by example. We try and expose our team to the five star service we expect them to provide. For example, we will take them to fine dining restaurants for their anniversary, or stay at a five star hotel when we go to industry events. When they see people in other industries providing the high quality experience we expect them to deliver, they get to see what a strong culture looks like in action and it brings it back home for them.
CP: Culture is something that we emphasize a lot when someone is first hired and goes through orientation, but it occurred to us that it is something that should be revisited at least once a year so that everyone in the company is on the same page. This is why we developed ABC: Culture.
TP: We couture this class according to the salon’s brand, objectives, and company philosophy; and communicate it to the team in a fun, interactive presentation that will bring the team together leaving them inspired and motivated for the future.
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Great advice. Thanks for sharing.