According to a recent company culture survey, 88 percent of employees believe a strong company culture is key to business success. In fact, a positive work culture is linked to higher rates of employee engagement, which has been shown to improve productivity and profitability. That’s exactly why the leadership team at Focus is committed to creating what they call an “intentional culture” – one that fosters trust and mutual respect among employees.
Intentional Culture is a deliberate strategy to identify, create, and foster the appropriate culture initiatives that (A) align with our company goals and values, as well as our purpose, and (B) introduce employees to them, thus providing a platform to improve their leadership and communication skills with one another.
Intentional culture building creates greater trust and respect for one another. It brings more fun and creativity to a project, with the hope of fostering a healthy workplace environment where effective communication, as well as addressing conflict and disagreements head-on, leads to high performing teams. We know it’s not perfect and change won’t come overnight, but we understand that creating a culture takes time and care.
My role as an ambassador is to assist the CEO in assessing, promoting, and driving company culture. I do this by providing regular recommendations and initiatives, as well as ensuring that individual department strategies align with our organizational business goals. One way we do this is by making sure all employees are exposed to our culture, values, and the tools we have in place to solve conflict or relational issues in a healthy way. Human Resources also takes part in every company interview to intentionally screen candidates and make sure they align with our company culture.
The culture at Focus is brought to life every day and is evident by how employees relate to and treat one another. At Focus, team members experience an environment of care, openness, and a sense of being part of a family. Our culture initiatives deplete office gossip, strengthen team and cross departmental relationships, and give employees a means to resolve conflict with clear and direct communication. Employees who are engaged with our culture have advanced opportunities to improve their relational leadership skills every day, learn to give and receive feedback constructively, and are invited to be the solution to any work related issues. Additionally, and perhaps unintentionally, many employees share heartwarming stories where they’ve used pieces of what they have learned through our culture at home, and it has changed their relationships entirely for the better.