Consciously build a powerful company culture. Otherwise, it will build itself…and you will not like the results.   — Marla Tabaka

What does it really mean to build a strong culture? For some entrepreneurs, the very word conjures up images of employees dancing on desks, playing pool in the break room, and napping away in comfy, soundproof enclosures. While providing a fun environment may be one component of a thriving company culture, there's so much more to it.

If you want to stand out from your competition, keep your rock star talent from jumping onto another stage, and glean nothing but the best from employees at all levels, always remember Rule 11 from my 51 Rules of Leadership Excellence. Build a company culture based on your own values, but don't forget these eight musts.

1. If you want to be trusted, you must trust.

A culture of mutual trust is imperative. If you behave like a helicopter parent, overseeing, or worse, taking over every project, it will directly conflict with building trust. What if they make a mistake? I think any successful entrepreneur will tell you there is no mistake you cannot recover from. Give your employees clear guidelines and let them spread their wings.

Also, always do what you say you will unless there’s a good reason not to. If an employee is due for a raise, give it to them on time. If you say you will have weekly team meetings, be there. If you promise to add a team member to lighten the load, make it happen.

2. Determine your purpose.

Everyone needs a purpose in their lives; this is just as true in businesses. The purpose is the “why” behind what you do. If your company's purpose is only about making money, employees won't stand behind it for long. If the purpose is compelling and gives them a great reason to work at your company, it will attract passionate employees who want to fulfill your company's purpose.

If you create a purpose that benefits humankind, not just your company, you will attract and retain employees, which will produce the same effect on your customers.

3. Create a compelling vision.

If you don’t have a vision, you can’t get there. A compelling vision is short, clear, and achievable—albeit out of reach in the current moment.

For example, ex-Dunkin' Donuts CEO (and son of the company founder) Robert Rosenberg created this vision for Dunkin's future: “To become the dominant doughnut and coffee provider in each and every market” in which it competed.

Clear, concise, and probably achievable, but how? Metrics, KPI’s, and consistency.

The key is to sift through all the possible metrics and KPIs to determine the goals that best define success. Dunkin’s early objectives were:

• To have earnings per share grow at 15-to-20 percent per year.
• To have store-level economics achieve at least a 15-percent return on investment on average.
• To have debt never total more than three times EBITDA.

The company measured plenty of other things, but these objectives mattered most. This meant other goals had to support those objectives; otherwise, they weren't important.

Do your best to make your vision short, memorable, and repeatable. Long or confusing paragraphs cannot guide employees' thoughts, decisions, or actions, mostly because they can't remember or repeat it.

4. Clarify the values within your company culture.

Values let your team and the outside world know what you are all about. To come up with your company's values, first, explore your own personal values and use those to create values to guide your company toward success. Avoid double-standards.

For instance, most entrepreneurs value freedom, both personal and financial. Yet, many don’t extend that value to their team. If you wish to be financially independent and have flexibility in your schedule, wouldn’t it make sense to extend the same opportunities to your team, within reason, of course. If financial freedom is essential to you, pay your team well, and you’re more likely to achieve the goal. They will be committed, hard-working, and focused. If your employees feel safe financially, it gives them one less thing to worry about so they can concentrate on their job.

You can have any number of values; it's up to you, but remember that your values will direct how you do things in the future, so choose wisely.

5. Create unique/WOW factors.

Unique/WOW factors for your company may be the single most important thing in business today. Why should anyone want to work with or buy from your company? What is unique or WOW about it? Does what you sell or deliver stand out from the rest?

Having a unique/WOW factor should not only be for what you sell, but how you deliver it. This is especially true for a commodity or a service, as in those cases, what you sell may not be that unique in the first place. Be different! If everyone is building fences, dig a tunnel!

6. No jerks allowed.

I can't say this often enough: Hiring for skill alone will doom you to misery. Hire people who fit in with the intentional design of your culture. Hire people who have a proven work ethic and are team players. Hire for creativity and personality. Sure, experience and skill are important, but not nearly enough to take you to the top of your industry.

Create an interview process with questions that will compel your candidate to discuss their values, vision, skills, and professional and life experience. Don't rush through the search and hire process to get a warm body onboard; know your new hires.

7. Your company culture should encourage growth and ownership.

A strong company culture isn't just about teamwork and camaraderie; it's about encouraging your employees to see their job as more than just a job–to own their job and their ideas. Once you've built this collaborative, trusting environment, your employees will bring ideas to the table. If it's their idea, put them in charge of it! If an employee wants to learn something new, provide the support for them to do it. Today, innovative companies don't hire employees to remain in one job for an eternity; they hire innovators who will contribute to the future of the company in a powerful way.

8. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Poor communication issues are at the root of many failures, and where I see entrepreneurs fail most often. You have a recipe for disaster when one hand doesn't know what the other is doing. But communication about processes and workflow aren't enough. Drill your values into your employees with ideas like those above and demonstrate them in your own behavior. Be authentic and, at times, vulnerable. If an employee isn't performing up to par, don't let your frustration and disappointment grow; engage in thoughtful conversations about it and create an improvement plan. If an employee has a win, celebrate!

Building a distinctive culture is not an overnight event, and it's not always easy. You'll hit some bumps in the road; remember Rule number 6: Never forget that your team, not your product, not your bank account, is your number-one asset.

The post How (and Why) to Build an Intentional Company Culture appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

A savvy entrepreneur puts the development of an attractive company culture at the forefront of their growth plans; it's not an afterthought. Your customers want to be a part of your brand; they want to support companies that represent their own global views or satisfy them beyond a typical purchase. They want their purchase to be an experience, not a transaction.

For services like my own, clients want to work with someone who has experienced similar challenges and demonstrates empathy, understanding, and the expertise to conquer those challenges. Appropriately crafted, your brand story hits home with your ideal prospect and helps them to know they are in good hands.

Of course, Apple and Nike are the kings of brand storytelling. Nike's Just Do It and Equality campaigns are iconic. In the Equality campaign,  the sportswear giant positions the company as a force for positive social change. A consumer's Nike purchases represent more than just a pair of sneakers and branded workout gear. Buyers want to become a part of a collective movement by wearing Nike products. And their campaigns create brand loyalists who engage on social media by sharing and commenting about their own experiences.

One of my favorite Apple ads aired way back in 2013, but it still sticks in my mind. It's about a misunderstood teen and how he ends up creating a very touching family holiday video. This ad holds an aha moment because it teaches us that we don't have to talk about the product or service to inspire our audiences. You wouldn't even know this is an Apple ad until the very end. If you've never seen this one, check it out.

Here's what you need to know about building and marketing your culture and brand story.

Your company culture is the cake.

Company culture is just the icing on the cake to some business owners, but those entrepreneurs are way off base. Your culture is not the icing; it is the cake. Savvy consumers and decision-makers look for the story behind the company before they buy. Like the cake, your culture has many carefully measured ingredients: values, happy team members who represent the values, work environment, brand image, voice, and story, world views, product quality, and proper procedures. There's more, of course, and it's a lot to manage, but without the cake, there is no icing to entice your ideal consumer.

Your brand needs a voice.

Storytelling is a powerful marketing technique. A compelling story will build a network of brand loyalists who connect with your company because of what it stands for. It's worth hiring a content writer or marketing agency to help you identify your story. It's not enough to put a cool story on your website; it must become an integral part of your marketing collateral. Spread the news on the various marketing channels available to you. Make sure your brand is cohesive across all channels. Talk about the “why” behind your business so that people can identify with it and feel eager to support you.

You and your team members should tell the same story.

Storytelling is memorable and persuasive–statistics are not. Make sure that anyone who represents your business uses your story, not boring stats. Teach them to tell the same story; one that it's truthful and compelling. This goal means spending time with your team. Familiarize them with your values and mission statement and what they mean. Do role-reversal exercises to practice their responses to consumer questions and objections. Allow your team members to contribute to the culture with suggestions and insights.

Trust is one of the top influencers of purchasing decisions. The integrity that's woven into the fabric of your culture is demonstrated through the behavior of those in the field. You and your sales team should be armed with the same answers to challenging questions. The way you handle objections tells a story about your company; make sure it's favorable.

If you work solo, do these exercises on your own. Many coaches and consultants stumble over the tough questions. If you feel your values to the core, you will speak truthfully and passionately about your services, and that's what your future client is seeking.

Many entrepreneurs argue that they have no time to build an intentional culture. As my quote at the top of this article implies, the results of a neglected culture are often catastrophic. Begin by identifying your personal values, then what your company stands for. Think big, beyond the scope of money-making activities. Reach deep within yourself to develop your “why” and the story and actions to bring your dreams to fruition.

The post Stop Marketing Products and Services. Your Company Culture Will Attract the Ideal Customers appeared first on Marla Tabaka.

So I took the car back—again—explaining the issue to yet another person. And once again I was subjected to a five-minute monologue about how they were going to fix the problem. Guess what? I don’t care! All I care about is that they solve my problem, not how they solve it! I care about their customer service policy—how important is it to them that the issue gets resolved? What is their guarantee? Are they going to stand behind their work or will I have to deal with corporate red tape? I cared about their why, not their how.

The mistake too many small business owners make.

As I peruse the websites of many an entrepreneur, as I listen to a coaching prospect tell their story, as I experience misguided customer policies (or lack of), I see and hear entrepreneurs talk about their expertise—in technical terms that don't engage their prospects.

When you meet someone new can you describe what you do with the passion of your why driving your description? Do your marketing materials, including your website, convey a message that will resonate with your ideal customer?

If you have a difficult time finding the right words to pitch your company and close the sale, it’s probably because you don’t know your why. You may believe you do, but if that problem exists I assure you—you don’t. It’s time to dig deep down within yourself to explore your passion, and it’s not “I love helping people”. Not to dismiss the importance or significance of that, but there's more to it.

Finding your purpose: the why behind being an entrepreneur and doing what you do.

Finding your why can be a long process, or it can be delivered in a sudden “Ah Ha” moment as soon as you begin the process. It's not something people can often do alone, but this will get you off to a good start.

Begin with the following questions and, after each one, ask why? Why is this true? Why is it important to me? Why do I feel so strongly about this? Why, why, why? When you believe you have the answer, ask again–why? Use your feelings as the gauge; they will tell you when you finally arrive at the real answer.

• What is the most important thing in the world to me?
• When I lose all track of time, I am usually (doing what)?
• I get most excited and passionate when I talk about (what)?
• If money were not an issue, I would volunteer my time and money to do (what)?
• If there was one thing in the world that I could change what would it be?
• What world issue matters most to me?
• If I did a TED Talk, what would my core message be?
• What are my personal values? (This too goes deeper than you may believe. Another process that you may need help going through.)

An entrepreneur's coach can help.

Remember, to find the freedom that is so important to you, this is the single most important piece of information to wrap your heart and mind around. Devote the time, energy, and money if necessary, to find your real why! Please reach out to me to learn more about how I can help.

The post Why Your Why is Important to Customers appeared first on Marla Tabaka.