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| Liz Kaplow |
Culture is one of today’s most overused and misunderstood buzzwords. Everyone talks about it, but few grasp what it truly means or the impact it can have on the success of an organization. Remarkably, in some circles, culture has actually become a taboo, catch-all term lacking significance and impact.
But with return-to-office challenges, rising employee turnover, rapid technological advancement and mounting pressure on leaders to authentically communicate and inspire their teams, it’s important to proactively approach the topic of culture as a business-critical conversation.
Every executive leader I’ve spoken with recently has expressed the challenges they are facing to continuously innovate and advance company growth initiatives. But at the same time, they are navigating unprecedented economic and global uncertainty felt by all employees at all levels. These problems aren’t as disparate as they may seem. There’s actually a powerful, inherent connection between the two: a resilient foundational culture can drive both business growth and stronger interpersonal relationships.
Make culture your most powerful asset
What if your culture wasn’t just a backdrop, but the very engine for your business growth? Leadership today is defined by authenticity, resilience and trust. In order to cultivate, produce and flourish, a leader needs to create a climate for growth that is steeped in values and shared goals. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review, teams with engaged employees outperform disengaged teams by 202 percent.
In growth companies, culture doesn’t just boost morale, it speeds decision-making, shortens innovation cycles, and creates the trust required to take calculated risks. As Forbes notes, “culture-conscious companies rise above industry benchmarks and outlearn and outperform their competition.”
A strong culture is good for business
Kaplow Communications, the agency I founded almost 35 years ago, is a case study on the measurable impact a strong culture can have on sustainable business development, resiliency and growth.
More than a decade ago, Kaplow was experiencing internal challenges. Collaboration and morale were at an all-time low. I was searching for answers when the spirit of TREE came to me. At a time when the world around me seemed to be in shambles, I found myself sitting under this remarkable tree outside my home, finding peace and solace under its branches.
I realized that while this tree may not have always been as grand and towering as it is today, it had been nurtured to grow with roots that became stronger with each passing day. And that’s when I realized that truth could be exactly what Kaplow needed to create harmony and propel its own growth. TREE would stand for Trust, Respect, Energy and Enthusiasm, and became the values core to our culture. But we couldn’t just say the words. We needed to bring it to life in a way that united our team and ultimately bolstered our business.
From anecdote to action
So how did we do it? Simply put, we connected those values to every responsibility we had both internally and externally. From setting up Level Set ONE Sessions to better understand how our clients prefer to work to adding TREE as a measure of performance on reviews, evaluating how the implementation of those values was tangibly linking to better performance and stronger teams.
The outcome? A tremendous uptick in retention, results and revenue. And today, TREE remains at the heart of everything we do. But the best part is, it’s an example that others can both follow and adopt to achieve the same objectives.
The TREE framework can be a solution for any organization requiring a culture reset, bringing a fresh approach that cuts through complexity and provides perspective to ignite innovation, collaboration and long-term growth. This is why I partnered with genconnectU to create a new leadership module titled TREE: Building a Growth Culture Through Trust, Respect, Energy & Enthusiasm. The on-demand course is available now on genconnectU’s platform and is ideal for anyone looking to advance their leadership journey with a strong sense of purpose that underscores tangible growth and business-building results.
Culture has always existed in organizations, but the difference today is whether leaders choose to shape it or let it shape them. When aligned with strategy, culture becomes the multiplier for performance that fuels innovation, accountability and results. The companies that thrive in the years ahead will be the ones with leaders who recognize culture not as a byproduct, but as a catalyst for sustainable growth. And when those roots are firmly planted, new branches of success are bound to emerge.
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Liz Kaplow is founder and CEO of Kaplow Communications.
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