Does Your Organization Have a Winning Culture?
Have you ever wondered why teams that had no business winning a game or a championship actually pull it off? Have you ever thought on paper this team should be winning but they consistently lose? I reflected on this past Super Bowl and attempted to digest what happened on the field. The New England Patriots pulled off a historic win. A team that was down 25 points in one of the biggest games on the world stage wins–how did this happen?
I think the answer is rather simple The New England Patriots have a winning culture. Bill Belichick, when interviewed after the game, said they never felt winning was not achievable. Organizations that have winning cultures believe they can win games that seem impossible. Organizations that have winning cultures have a game plan and stick to it. They may tweak the game plan, but they never lose sight of what has made them successful. Organizations that have winning cultures have winners on their team.
So, what does all this have to do with business? It is plain and simple: businesses that have a winning culture are more successful. They have leaders who set a standard for excellence and are not happy with the status quo. They have employees who believe they can win the business even with tough competition. They have employees who understand and know what it feels like to be successful. They have employees who believe in the mission and the vision and clearly understand how they can impact both.
Now the ultimate question–does your organization have a winning culture? Do you have employees who believe in your mission and vision? Is your staff engaged? Do you have a game plan (strategic plan) and does your staff know how they can impact the plan?
Creating a winning culture is not easy, but it can be achieved. Listed below are a few key steps to developing a winning culture. The first step is to hire the right leadership team. A great team with poor leadership will not promote a winning culture. The second step is to secure a strong team of employees. The third step is to develop a strong strategic plan and develop a disciplined routine to ensure your team sticks to the plan’s implementation. Finally, and maybe the most important step, is to remember that a winning culture is not developed over night and you must stay focused to achieve it.
You may be asking yourself, how do I navigate through the steps outlined above? Here are a few options to consider:
Start by assessing your culture. Ask employees if they can define the key characteristics of your culture. Seek feedback from customers if they could help define your culture. Always remember your culture is defined by how others describe it.
Next, assess your interview process. Are your interview questions tailored to securing strong leaders and employees who will embrace this “winning” culture? Also, evaluate assessment tools that can be used during the interview process. At Decision Associates, we use the Profile XT by Wiley, but there are other assessment tools that can be used.
Finally, review your strategic plan. Is it current? If it is current, do your management team and employees know the strategies and objectives identified in the plan? If it is out of date or if you don’t have a plan, develop a plan.