A Successful Company Culture Starts With a Solid Foundation

KEVIN NOTT
BDR Head Coach

I believe it safe to say that a key objective of any organization is to be successful. For our purposes, we’ll define success as “the accomplishment of a noble aim or purpose.” Unfortunately, few organizations can boast true success. 

Success may be elusive to an organization for many reasons: the lack of a clear aim or purpose; a cause without nobility – it doesn’t inspire or motivate; or a failure to identify, establish, and execute the steps required to reach the objectives. A common and pervasive force in these organizations is a culture of apathy and acceptance of failure.

Culture is the driving force and expects high-level performance from the organization and every stakeholder.

Successful organizations, on the other hand, have a culture of success. This culture is the driving force and expects high-level performance from the organization and every stakeholder. It embraces positive change. A strong company culture values accountability and demands processes and procedures. It learns from failures and celebrates achievement. Culture is the organization’s personality—deeply embedded in everything it says and does.

A culture of success starts with a solid foundation. That foundation is comprised of vision, values, and mission statements. They are the core of what an organization is and hopes to become. Great thought and effort should be made to ensure that these foundational anchors are solid and paint a clear picture of what will become the organization’s culture.

The vision statement is a descriptive picture of what the organization strives to achieve or become. It’s that noble cause that inspires and motivates. Getting this right is critical because it sets the direction and, to an extent, the destination of the organization. 

The statement of values comprises the collective principles and ideals that guide the thoughts and actions of all within the organization. Selected values must be descriptive and precise. Values should be clearly communicated to and understood by all. 

A culture of success starts with a solid foundation.

The mission statement describes and defines the organization’s purpose. It explains how the organization functions consistent with its vision and values and states the relationships among the various stakeholders. The mission is actualized—it’s what the organization does.

Embedding the vision, values, and mission statements into the organization starts at the top. Leaders must exemplify the virtues embodied in them. They must use them as the filter for all they think, do, and say. Leaders must then cultivate them in the organization by holding all accountable to them. 

With the vision, values, and mission statements established as a foundation, the leaders can now begin establishing the structure, systems, style, skills, staff, and strategies—the other elements of the culture—that will propel the organization to success.

If you have already established your vision, values, and mission statements, take the time to reflect on how well these core beliefs are embedded in your company and whether they are being utilized to make decisions and clearly communicate your purpose daily to the team. If you have not established these core foundations in your business and need help, please ask your coach to assist you in developing them. 

Wahoo!

About the Author

Kevin Nott has been actively involved in the HVAC industry for 30+ years and has been a Profit Coach with BDR for over 12+ years. Kevin has extensive experience with both the residential and commercial markets and in service, maintenance, replacement, and new construction.  The companies he has managed ranged in size from just over $1 million to over $5 million in revenues.

Before joining BDR, Kevin had attended several BDR training courses and was impressed by the vision and practical approach to profit and growth that BDR was sharing.  He saw firsthand the many companies that were experiencing great success as a result of their involvement with BDR and was excited and honored to join the team. Kevin enjoys his role as a Profit Coach and gets great satisfaction from helping BDR clients create and achieve their business and personal goals.