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 Construction Company Culture – Employees and CustomersIn my last blog, I said a company’s culture is best understood in the answer to the question, “What’s it like to work here?” I talked about how corporate culture is established either by design or by default. If you, as owner of your company, do not take control of this, then you may see the development of a culture you will not like.
Your company's culture influences how your employees think about you, and how they feel about the company and even about themselves. It affects how they respond to emergencies, how they handle themselves on the phone or in meetings, how they manage their personal space, and the way they represent your company to others. You may have written a set of values that you’ve hung on the walls around your office that describes how you'd like your company to run. It might include words and phrases like, "We strive for excellent quality,” "Customer care is priority one,” "Empowerment of our employees…," or "Integrity above all." But these are ideals (and generalizations) and don’t always describe the culture that actually exists in the firm. Unfortunately, your culture is best seen by outsiders: your subcontractors or your attorney or your customers. Now think about this: Only after you see the gap that exists between your ideal values that you want to promote vs the entrenched culture that actually operates can you tag the work that must be done. That is, until you synchronize what actually exists with what you want, it will be impossible to follow the course you’ve charted: You'll try to steer in the direction you want to go, but your ship will go in another. So, knowing yourself—truly seeing yourself (your firm) as you really are—is the first step in putting your values and your culture in sync with each other. Only then can you mold your company through a consistent combination of your behavior and the express values and beliefs you put on paper. However, you cannot fake it. As a small business owner close to your employees, you are more or less transparent. Don’t try to sell beliefs and values that are different than the real you. No one will buy them. Company culture issues, including your interactions with employees, subcontractors, and clients, comprise a major portion of the book, Construction Business Management: What Every Contractor, Builder and Subcontractor Needs to Know, by Nick Ganaway. Nick was a successful general contractor for 25 years and is a consultant in Atlanta, Georgia for contractors and other small business owners. All SmartBuzz Community Blog Posts
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