BUSINESS COMMENT
12 • November 2020
Coast River Business Journal
Enhancing a company culture
Success and long-term sustainability can be obtained from good business practices
By Kevin Leahy
Executive Director
Clatsop Economic Development Resources
Building a strong culture may not guarantee
business success, but ignoring it inhibits a
business’s chance for long-term sustainability.
Company culture is defined as the shared values,
beliefs and practices of company employees
including management. Culture is not in your
written policies and won’t appear as a line item
on your balance sheet. Rather, it’s the actions
and attitudes of everyone who is a part of the
organization.
It’s the glue that holds a great business together.
It’s one of the most impactful hidden assets a
business can hold. Small businesses may think a
culture will simply emerge over time and it probably
will. However, as a business owner, culture is not
something you should leave to chance but should
plan for and actively work to create.
The type of culture you as an owner wish
to create must be something that keeps your
team inspired and functioning as efficiently as
possible. Inspiring a culture where team members
feel empowered to explore, create, and work at
their peak performance level should be a core
component of any strong company culture. It takes
hard work and foresight to develop and nourish a
company culture.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2020 CONTRIBUTORS
During these Covid-19 times your support is needed more than ever.
Arbor Care Tree Specialists
Astoria Brewing Co.
Astoria-Warrenton
Chamber of Commerce
Baker, Monaghan & Assoc.
Bank of the Pacific
Bayview Asphalt, Inc.
Bowpicker Fish & Chips
Bridgewater Bistro
Bussert, Law, &
Associates, LLP
Campbell & Popkin, LLC
Cannon Beach Chamber
of Commerce
Cannon Beach
Vacation Rentals
Coherence Consulting,
LLC
Columbia Bank
Columbia Memorial
Hospital
Craft3
Da Yang Seafood
Darlene Warren Insurance
Dr. Roof
Emmons Design
Encore Dance Studio LLC
Englund Marine &
Industrial Supply
Fishhawk Fisheries
Fort George Brewery
+ Public House
Georgia Pacific
Gimre’s Shoes Astoria, Inc.
Gustafson Logging
Hampton Lumber Mills, Inc
Helligso Construction
High Life Adventures
Hyak Tongue Point LLC
Inn at Seaside
Jane Francis
Knutsen Insurance
LEKTRO
Lewis & Clark Bank
Lewis & Clark Timberlands/
Greenwood Resources
Linda Dugan Insurance
Lucy’s Books
Lum’s Auto Center
M & N Workwear
Maggie & Henry
N. Landwehr
Financial Planner
NW Natural Gas Company
P & L Johnson Mechanical
Pacific Power
Pig N Pancake, Inc.
Pro-Nurse Press
Providence Seaside Hospital
Rickenbach
Construction, Inc.
Rohne’s Brownsmead
Island Farm
Seaside Chamber
of Commerce
Seaside Temps
Senator Betsy Johnson
Sundial Travel Services
The Astorian
The Sharpening Doc
The Wine Shack
Versa Corp
Warrenton Kia
WWC Business Solutions
and
Clatsop Community
College
Clatsop County
Port of Astoria
Sunset Empire
Transportation District
City of Astoria
City of Cannon Beach
City of Gearhart
City of Seaside
City of Warrenton
1455 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, OR • 503–338–2402
www.clatsoped.com • email: SBDC@clatsopcc.edu
Assess where you are
So just how can you go about assessing this?
• Look for common employee behaviors. How
do employees act with customers and with each
other?
• Listen with an open mind to employees,
suppliers, customers, and members of the
community. What is being said about your business
in public, on social media and in the hallways of
the business? In these COVID-19 times, it is more
important than ever to keep your ears and eyes
open to feedback about your business from all
channels.
• How do you communicate your values to your
employees?
• Are sales growing or shrinking? There are
businesses experiencing growth in spite of the
pandemic as they have found ways to “pivot” their
business model. And for those businesses whose
sales are shrinking, it is understandable to have
anxiety and concerns, but note that as we emerge
from the pandemic businesses that have pivoted
and remained nimble are positioning themselves
for renewed growth.
• Is the company environment toxic or healthy? We
know that the most important component of business
success is our people. Take a look internally and see
how the company culture has moved over these past
eight months, and see if there is an adjustment or reset
needed.
• How do you give back to the community? We
have such generous businesses who traditionally
donate to local fundraisers and causes. Some are
not currently able to contribute financially, but stay
engaged and active through this challenging time.
Positive support does not always have to be financial.
What do you want it to be?
Once your assessment is completed, determine
what you want the culture to look like in the future.
Review your vision, values and goals to make
sure the culture supports them. Develop an action
plan for what needs to be improved. Brainstorm
changes, making sure to include employees in
the planning and in communicating the expected
outcomes. Monitor the results to see if they are
impacting the company culture in a positive way.
Creating a unique culture can really affect how
a team interacts with each other, building stronger
relationships and a stronger business. Here are a
few tips to get you started:
• Lead by example — owners need to show
employees how they live the organizational
culture in all their actions.
• Hire for attitude — hiring to create a team
with varied skills and interests will create a more
unique company culture.
• Create an enjoyable atmosphere — get
creative in ways you can show your team that
you appreciate them. Recognize and reward
employees who genuinely embrace the culture.
Have some fun!
Kevin Leahy
• Empower your employees — give your
employees a chance to use their initiative, make
decisions and own their work.
• Provide opportunities for continuous
learning — think of different ways for employees
to share their knowledge – encourage job
shadowing of each other. These small things will
create conversations and improve awareness of
what else is happening in the business. Attending
a relevant ZOOM workshop will help employees
feel refreshed and excited to work.
• Keep the lines of communication open —
make sure your team feels they can communicate
openly and honestly about problems they are
dealing with. This is especially important in small
teams where the attitude of a single person can
shift the team morale.
Communicating consistently with your team
will keep you integrated and in tune with the
environment of your business. There are many
different types of business cultures, and the one
your business adopts can affect everything from
the public’s perception of your brand to your
employees’ job satisfaction.
A strong and inclusive company culture should
be premised upon good communication, a team
with varied strengths and personalities, and
one where members are happy to work because
they are shown their value to the success of the
company.
These building blocks will set the stage for
creating a great company culture where your
employees not only work efficiently but also value
the success of the enterprise as much as you do.
Kevin Leahy is the executive director of CEDR
and Clatsop Community College SBDC. Contact
him at bizcenter.org/Clatsop, sbdc@clatsopcc.
edu or 503-338-2402 to schedule an appointment,
which is currently being done through ZOOM.