Restoration Company Culture – Why It’s THE Single Most Important Key to Your Success
At the most recent More Floods Owner’s Round-table, the issue of company culture and its singular ability to unlock growth in a company was on full display. Our host, Jim Bonner, owner of Spartan Restoration in Fredericksburg, VA, along with his key management team, showed in no uncertain terms how the culture of Spartan is by far their greatest competitive advantage, and the secret weapon that took Spartan from one guy in his basement (Jim) to a multi-million dollar powerhouse in less than five years.
As I sat there listening throughout the day, Jim and his remarkable management team talked about Spartan’s how-to’s for success. Foremost among the reasons was company culture.
Eventually, something occurred to me. At More Floods, and our sister restoration company, Power Dry, we talk a lot about company culture. We’ve written about it a lot too. But we’ve never actually taken the time to really define it and explain why it needs to be at the very center of your company’s brand.
As a business owner if you’re seeking to unleash massive growth. If you’re wanting to spend your time working on the vision and big picture of your company and less time in the day-to-day, then the one, and perhaps only, strategy you must make these things happen is company culture.
What Company Culture is NOT
- Your core values – Core values are certainly part of your culture, but until you put them into action, they’re just words. In fact, core values can negatively impact culture if they aren’t adhered to. Employees will see this as the company paying lip service and failing to live up to its own standards.
- Your perks and benefits – Ping pong tables (or in Spartan’s case, a friggin’ MMA gym!) and beer on tap can be great, assuming they represent what your employees really care about, but perks and benefits are not a substitute for strong company culture. In fact, Spartan has a very cool World War 1 Bunker Bar with beer taps! But Jim made it crystal clear that those are NOT what he means by company culture. They are simply tools to build camaraderie amongst his team, and in the case of the Bunker Bar, a popular sales tool to use, especially with plumbers!
What Company Culture IS
Many definitions of it exist. All the ones I’ve come across basically define organizational culture as having to do with the “behavior of humans within an organization and the meaning that people attach to those behaviors.” I don’t find that definition to be much help. They also list things that contribute to company culture, such as company vision, values, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits.
Again, lots of words, but not much help there.
A day removed from what I witnessed at the Round-table at Spartan yesterday and a morning (along with some full strength coffee) to gather my thoughts, I think the distinction to make here is that company culture is something that is pre-existing in your company’s genetic code; it’s not something that employees bring with them. In fact, a company with just one employee – a company with no employees, still has a culture. Sole proprietor, like Jim was when he first started? He still had “vision, values, and assumptions.” You don’t wait around for employees to provide such things; instead, you seek out those individuals who you feel would be a good match with your existing vision for the company. It takes time, and not every person you bring on will ultimately be a good fit. It’s an ongoing process, but the more you have established and honed your company culture, the easier it becomes to identify early on, and in the hiring process, who is more likely than not to be a great fit.
As Jim described it (or perhaps how I heard it), this creates a sort of give-and-take. You have your own plans for your company’s development, and as your team grows, you find that it can change and grow in unexpected and rewarding ways.
Assessing Your Company’s Culture – sorry, that’s the subject of our next blog!
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