Create a dynamic company culture

(Credit: fizkes/Adobe Stock)

A dynamic company culture is not about beer on draft, or lounges, a snack bar, or a game room, it is much deeper than those things. The culture of a company is the heart and soul of the organization, it is the backbone, the values, the behaviors, it is how employees engage and interact both inside the company and out.

We have noted 6 aspects that create a dynamic company culture. See how you, as a broker or agent, can implement some of these features in your company and enable your clients to do the same. Thus, leading to better serve employees, customers, and community through a culture of communication and a focus on business.

1. The basics are clear

Everyone starts somewhere this we know, so why not start with the simple things already in place? Every company has a mission statement, values, passion, and/or vision statements. Find these items and give them a review, ensure they still best serve your company and your goals.

Revising and creating a clear foundation for your company is the best way to ensure employees and clients know where you are going and how they fit into the plan and are able to help grow the vision.

2. Support the team: This is your time to shine!

Speaking of teams, have you taken a good look at yours lately? Are they getting everything they need? This is a great question to ask. Ensure the team is supported in as many ways as possible.

Support can be more than compensation; it can be paid time off, banking holidays, rolling paid time off to the next year, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, 401k, vesting interest, it can also include benefits packages. These are all ways to show you care about the wellbeing of the team. Finally, there is the ability to help your employees them better care of themselves, through health insurance.

This is where you as a broker are able to help others. You are able to show your clients how to support their team through insurance benefits by taking the lead and caring first for your team. Start by making sure your team is covered; you can then share what you are able to do with your clients and help them find the solution that best fits their needs. Benefits like major medical insurance paired with ancillary coverage options ensure your clients and their employees feel supported when they need it most.

3. Leaders lead

This may sound a bit redundant, but it may be a good time to look at the leadership team. Are they putting forth the effort? Are they able to meet the standards of the company vision and mission statement? Leaders are the lifeline of a company’s culture. They are the beginning of the culture in many aspects. It is important to give leadership the space to mentor their team, help their members grow and feel appreciated in their role. This is another area you are able to provide support and grow your team. Supporting the leadership team means giving them the time they need with you to learn and grow in the company vision. Ensuring you and your team are consistent and use time wisely to grow each other, is ensuring you are leading your team as you want them to lead their teams.

4. Culture is a feeling

Culture is more than values and mission. It is not the company logo and slogan, and it’s not how the team dresses or even how they greet the customer. It is so much more than these things- though these make up the outward view of culture. It is about the ties that bind the team together. It is feeling appreciated, knowing you are supported, and have space to grow. Creating a dynamic company culture means friendship, understanding, humor, learning, problem-solving and decision-making, working towards a goal as a unit.

Culture is how the team feels when they are at work, and how they view work when they are at home. To know where a company can grow, it is a good idea to talk to the team as a whole, asking for candid views on work. Many companies boast about their amazing culture when in reality they have created unhappy and unfulfilled employees. Checking in with your team, reviewing goals, and having real conversations about growth ensure your company culture is more than a line in your website.

5. Risks are encouraged

When was the last time your team stepped out of the box, came up with a new idea, and had it implemented? Encourage the team to step up and bring ideas to the forefront, then put some of them into place. If after putting an idea to work if it doesn’t seem to fit the need, make changes, or try something else. Failure is not trying and not succeeding, failure is never trying in the first place.

By showing the team they can take on a new idea and run with it you are growing your internal culture. You are ensuring your team feels heard and their needs are met. These types of seemingly small changes can often feel like a huge win for your team. Celebrate them and watch how they grow and take on leadership and implementation of new ideas.

6. Recognition: Above and beyond

Everyone likes to be needed and there is nothing better than hearing you did well at something. It can be as simple as a shout out in a meeting where everyone notes how someone else helped them this week, or a praise board with sticky notes. Thanking someone for being helpful takes seconds while the recognition for team members can mean so much. Something so simple helps unify any team, helps leaders be better leaders, and changes a mindset.

Related: Is your workplace culture contributing to employee presenteeism?

Often what you can implement within your team works with clients too. Clients love to feel appreciated and when you can share with them in success it is even better- maybe this looks like a client appreciation wall in your office or winning a breakfast or lunch for their team during a busy time. Allow the company culture you create within your team to shine through to your clients.

These 6 strategies to create a better company culture could be a huge shift, or a few small changes that make a world of difference for a team. Either way when your clients see these changes, they will see the effect on your team and how you work together both inside and outside the workplace. You will be creating happier, healthier, and more fulfilled employees who help others feel the same way.

Michael Malhame, CEO & Owner of MyHealthily.