Why Your Culture Is Costing You I define the culture of my business. Do you define yours?
By Grant Cardone Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Are you aware of the culture in your company and how it affects your profits and sales? "Culture' is defined as, "a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization," such as a business. Years ago people worked from sunup to sundown, with no alarm clocks, no reminders on their smartphone for meetings, hunting and risking their lives so they could eat dinner that night. Work ethic has decreased and today people may not work at all from sunup to sundown and expect the government to pay for their food.
What's the culture of your company?
Related: How 10 CEOs Keep Company Culture Alive, Even as Their Startups Expand
1. The majority.
Is it made of average people putting forth mediocre efforts? Coming in late, spending their time on personal social media, doing whatever they want, not following up with customers, making excuses for not hitting targets, giving your profits away and then quitting when things get tough?
2. The 'whatever it takes.'
Do you have a company culture where management and leadership demand greatness? A place where people are pushed to the next level and they shoot for massive results? Do you have the culture where it is popular and encouraged to show up early and stay late? The job -- I mean career -- where every customer is followed up, every deal is treated like it's the most important sale and the employees refuse to give away company profits.
If you own or run a business, even if you're the only employee, it is your right -- even your obligation -- as a business owner to be committed to success, to insist on how you want your business to run and how the people that work for you act and operate. I define the culture of my business.
If your company has the first culture and not the second it is because you haven't applied the principles of The 10X Rule: committing to huge goals, training daily to achieve them, and following up with massive action.
Related: 4 Steps to Take to Start a Successful Peer Recognition Program
Are your people:
• An embodiment of your company's mission?
• Doing whatever or Whatever It Takes?
• Working like their lives depend on it?
• Expecting raises without increasing profits?
It is critical that my staff exudes a willingness to do Whatever It Takes, has massive enthusiasm for even the smallest tasks, follows direction without question, and operates with a "no negativity' attitude. I push people—hard—to greatness, and if they quit I am happy because they won't bring my company down with their average culture in the future—they saved me the time and energy it would take to fire them.
To take your company to the next level, you cannot depend on hitting a "lucky break' or the economy booming—you must DEMAND that your people operate the way you want them to. Discipline and commitment are the most consistent ingredients of greatness in organizations. The best of the best that I have worked with all share these and their company culture is a reflection of it. This kind of culture must be reinforced daily.
As a boss, parent, teacher, manager, leader, or owner it's your business and your life. You have the right to insist on how you want things run. If you don't establish the guidelines to your company's culture someone else will. Don't settle for average—10X your life, the lives of your staff, and the lives of your clients.
Demand greatness. Be greatness,
