What is Your Company's Culture?

“…so in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Romans 12:5-6

Why is it so essential to create a company culture? The definition of culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music, and arts. Thus, it is the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to that group. In this day of such diverse cultures coming together under the operation within companies, we need to be able to educate and help our teams unite for a common goal. This does not mean uniformity; it is the acceptance of different qualities, discovering people’s strengths, and then applying them to a common company purpose.

It sounds daunting, and in fact, it is. Leading people is never for the faint of heart, but with the wisdom and strength of God, you can create success for all who come under your leadership.

Our company culture at The Shepherd’s Guide is to create an environment of unity where our desire is to help people become a better version of themselves, ourselves included. Unity is created in our company by being a part of our family. A family goes beyond what coworkers or bosses are; “it is inclusive.” Our team is important to us, and we want them to succeed in all areas of their lives. We release them in blessing and balance that with correction in love. That comes with a lot of encouragement for our team; we want them to wake up and come to work knowing they make a difference, not for us, but for The Kingdom of God. What they see as mundane tasks, God sees as a constant effort for His kingdom. We have a truly diverse skill set, and everyone does things in a way that suits their giftings. There are 100 ways to do different tasks. As long as the goal is reached, done properly, and in a timely fashion, we do not operate with the attitude of “our way or the highway.”

When you care about people, there will always be an element of correction. We achieve this through humility and sacrifice. We sacrifice our time to make sure people understand the desired outcome and are trained to do the task well. We want to set them up for success. We include a strong sense of humility, as we are in no way perfect and admit to our own mistakes as leaders and take responsibility for them. If we expect our team to do these things, we must emulate what needs to be done. People will follow their leaders if they believe in them.

One of the final things I leave you with: when my sons were young, I taught them how to clean and cook. I had a desire for their wives to appreciate the training they received from their mother—not to go behind my back and say, “As a mother, did you not teach your kids how to look after themselves?” The same is true for our team members. If they ever want to move on to another job, we want their new bosses to experience the gift of what we taught them. Last but absolutely not least, we desire the Lord to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, thank you for raising up and training my people. Thank you for creating a culture they could grow in.”

Is your company culture important? I would say yes—more important than your bottom line.