Culture seems to be a buzzword in today’s world of manufacturing. How can you create a culture throughout your organization that makes people want to come to work and make a difference? Retaining and keeping your employees engaged can come at a cost, but it’s vital to maintaining a successful company.
In September 2017, I had the opportunity to visit the Zappos Headquarters in Las Vegas. Zappos is known for their company culture, and it was clear how happy and engaged everyone was during my visit. Culture is something that Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh, implemented from the beginning. The common theme employees kept referencing was “slow to hire, quick to fire.” Zappos has a long hiring process, but they want to make sure candidates are a right fit for their culture, and if not, they’d be let go quickly.
Luckily enough, I was able to experience the Zappos tour with numerous others, all in manufacturing sectors. The one thing that seemed to always come up was how to translate Zappos’ culture into our own organizations. The answer was easy – we couldn’t. Tony Hsieh had given Zappos an identity through their culture. He didn’t mimic another company’s ideals and values, he established his own.
Culture is something tailored to your organization. There isn’t a general roadmap you can follow that magically creates a great company culture. It comes from the people within the organization that all believe in the same vision. People that want to be working with each other to help achieve an end goal. Inserting a monthly happy hour or interviewing employees to see how to make the workplace better won’t necessarily solve your culture problems. It’s about having the right people there in the first place. It comes from the people within the organization that all believe in the same vision with similar values.
As the newest Viver on staff, the team has welcomed me warmly as I’ve welcomed this new opportunity in my career. I’m happy to be back in Milwaukee, and even happier to be at Vive. The culture here is friendly and upbeat, and there is nothing that makes a job better than working on a talented team in a beautiful lakeside office.
One way to ensure your employees know how to communicate your company’s message is to develop an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is an effective way to share your company’s capabilities and unique differentiator.
The Federal Brand Investigators (FBI) are a true force in the world of marketing, and their jurisdiction encompasses anything and everything that has to do with your brand. Below are a few scenarios when the FBI should be called upon.
There’s no denying that a vast majority of our population utilizes some form of social media, whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or YouTube – so why wouldn’t your company want to optimize these channels to promote capabilities, services, and your internal culture? When curiosity arises from those unfamiliar with your organization, typically the second place people visit (following the website) is the company’s social media. If a company doesn’t have relevant, timely posts that people are interacting with, a company may be missing out on a huge opportunity to make a positive impression. It’s critical to build and maintain an online presence and most importantly, create multiple channels to connect with your potential customers, suppliers, or future talent.
Another MAPP Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference is in the books! Vive plans and prepares for this annual plastics industry event with plenty of anticipation. It’s great to reconnect with those in our network and meet new plastics professionals across all areas of the business. There was high energy right from the start as the association’s executive director, Troy Nix, got all 550 attendees excited about this year’s theme, Perseverance.