HOW TO BUILD CULTURE, SIMPLY
By Keith Wayne, CEO
I’m often asked how we managed to build the strong culture for which Wayne Brothers, Preferred Construction Supply, and Southern Engineering Company are known for around the industry.
My answer surprises people and it’s simpler than they expect.
I always come back to a statement I first heard from David Friedman the author of Culture by Design, during his 2015 presentation. He said that it really is simple and that anyone can build a better culture by reading his book and following the design laid out. I attest that it really is simple if you are intentional and committed to improving the behaviors of your team.
I suspect most of you leaders reading this article already have a relatively strong culture in place. Without one, it’s hard to imagine a construction-related business surviving more than 5 to 10 years, let alone thriving to the point of seeking improvement.
As I reflect on how we strengthened our culture, we leaned into what was already woven into the fabric of our team. We identified the best behaviors of our teammates along with a few behaviors that needed more consistency. That became our “Fundamental Behaviors List”. We didn’t reinvent anything, we just committed to doing what we do well, more consistently, and at every level. As a result, even our newest entry-level team members began to reflect the same behaviors as our long-standing leaders.
If you’re starting (or restarting) your culture journey, here’s where I’d begin:
- Define the two or three things you are best known to excel at.
- Identify the behaviors that set your company apart and make it a valued place to work.
- Develop intentional ways to communicate how these behaviors apply and what these behaviors look like in their day-to-day work.
It will take time to identify the behaviors and even longer to communicate them to each employee. It will take months, or even years, to gain a substantive understanding of what these behaviors need to look like in each employee’s daily work routines. But regularly discussing, communicating, and reinforcing these behaviors will accelerate the path to improvement. With enough consistency and redundancy, the wanted behaviors will become company habits or “rituals” (as Friedman calls them) and will become the core of your culture. And the quality of the behaviors you define and reinforce will be reflected in your business results. Define wisely.
