Four Ways To Stop Culture From Killing Your Company
Originally published in Forbes.
Corporate culture goes beyond giving your employees standing desks and work-from-home privileges. It’s the true DNA of a business, whether it’s part of the Fortune 500 or a small family-owned shop. It’s the peace of mind an employee has in knowing that, if they are ever subjected to bigoted or unethical behavior, they can go to HR with no fear of reprisal, because they know their employer will do the right thing.
Why did the bad behavior at Papa John’s or Uber go unaddressed for so long? Why did it take the #MeToo movement to finally galvanize companies into purging serial harassers from their ranks? The answer is simple: These companies finally recognized that the fish rots from the head down, and without addressing the illness that was a toxic culture, their very livelihoods were at risk.
The good news is cultures can be reformed, if not rebuilt from the ground up. Having worked with the likes of MGM, BMW and the NBA, I can prescribe the following to any organization looking to create a best-in-class culture that will not only keep employees happy but lead to meaningful growth.