EP (9) Alexis Dean: The Secrets to Building Great Company Culture And How it Can Increase Your Bottom Line
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of culture is as follows:
the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time
a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.
a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization (such as a business)
The context we are speaking about applies to the third point.
How does your company see culture? Does your company even have it's own culture? How do employees view it? How can you improve it?
What the heck IS company culture?
These are just some of the questions we discussed in my interview with Alexis Dean, Founder of Dovetail Team Building and Training.
To get culture right, isn't so black and white. It's not about throwing some ping-pong tables and dart boards into an office space, and offering free beer and snacks to all your employees any day of the week.
This is the type of culture we hear about when it comes to a lot of start-up's. This culture has somehow popularized - possibly thanks to Facebook- the frat-boy lifestyle, with the work hard, play hard mentality.
That gets old fast, if you are expecting everyone to work 80+ hours a week. And you may want to re-evaluate your company's culture if this is your main expectation. Because that mentality is not sustainable by any means.
In it's simplest depiction, culture rests on a company's set of beliefs and values that permeates through everything they do. From internal function, to dealing with clients and customers.
And although this may sound simple, it's another story when it comes down to implementation and making sure that everyone knows what your company stands for.
And as you'll hear, it's even harder to get it right.
Some companies that are doing an amazing job at getting culture right, are Zappos, Lululemon and Salesforce.
These are just a few examples.
They may or may not be your go-to examples; but you can't deny that their brands stand out from the rest.
So how does one become an expert on business culture?
Funny thing, Alexis never thought she'd be doing what she's doing now. Her life has taken many interesting twists and turns; however, she's now committed to helping companies increase their bottom line with a strong culture and help other's live for more than just the weekend.
SOME QUESTIONS I ASKED:
How did you get into the business of company culture and team building (this isn't straight forward, folks)
When you work with CEO's, what is the number one thing they ask you to fix?
Why would the world be a better place if we- as you say - loved the work we do every day and the companies we work for? How would the world change?
What's the secrets to getting company culture right?
What are a lot of potential hires looking for in a company culture?
What are so many companies getting wrong?
What does success look like to you?
Biggest life lesson to date (it's an acronym :))
And many more!
What You'll Learn:
New projects Alexis is working on and implementing at Dovetail
What companies she feels are getting "culture" right
The secrets to nailing the culture component
The types of clients she works with and what processes she implements
How to maintain great company culture
Why happiness and business need to go hand in hand
Why you can't treat culture as 'fluff'
Character traits of happy employees and how you find the right people for your company
What Culture Lab X is and how people can attend?
And so much more...
Other Links:
Culture Labx (Toronto Included in link)
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
Connect with Alexis & Dovetail
WESBITE | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | BLOG | FACEBOOK
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Edited by: James Findlay