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I launched The Moery Company in 2010, a solo journey. Today, we have a staff of 12 and seeking new staff. As we’ve grown, we’ve collectively worked toward building a fantastic team. Six building blocks have helped get us where we are today. These building blocks help build a strong culture. Strong culture will overcome many challenges you have in business.
Fundamentally important to our success has been consistent staff communication. When an issue arises, either with a client, another member of the team, or with me – staff should feel comfortable bringing the matter forward. I try to listen and provide instant feedback on how to best manage the situation. Consistent and ongoing communication opportunities are key to the culture game. Here is how we break it down:
1) Hold a daily pep rally. Every morning at 9 am, (unless there is some necessary business conflict), we have a discussion to cover the fundamentals of our business for up to 30 minutes. Our staff telecommutes on different days so pep rallies occur via conference call. These are hosted on a rotating basis by every member of our team. We share updates from each of our business performance areas including 1) administration 2) communications 3) sales, and 4) consulting. This is an opportunity to address any critical issues and allows feedback. It’s a daily opportunity to touch base.
2) To compliment the daily pep rally, each manager holds a weekly one-on-one meeting with each direct report. This discussion covers ‘top-of-mind’ matters for both manager and employee – (ie: the status of a project or campaign and those items that require more work).
3) Monthly staff meetings are held at headquarters to discuss how the company is doing overall. This is my opportunity to provide monthly reports about the health of the business. When building a high-performing team, it’s critical to keep them informed on how The Moery Company – especially the financials. I’m purposely transparent about the numbers. With this knowledge, the team understands why certain business decisions are being made. This financial transparency is very important to me – I’ve been in companies where that isn’t the case and it just leaves your trusted people in the dark. That’s wrong in my view.
4) Quarterly reviews are held as a “check in” on how each staffer is performing in terms of their annual goals. This discussion focuses on progress made on annual goals reached and strategies to help meet those objectives. Ideally, this is a building conversation on the weekly one-on-one meetings.
5) Each staffer participates in an annual review, which is a culmination of the various meetings for each team member – so, there are no surprises. Essentially, this discussion reviews goals reached, strategies to help meet objectives that may have fallen short, and goals for the following year are established. Salary enhancements and bonuses are also part of the discussion. Everyone is on the same page.
6) Finally, we conduct an annual strategic planning session. In fact, we just completed one this week. This gathering entails a strategic review of the company. We review and reinforce our vision, mission, and our values. We also identify, #1) what is most important for the company to achieve, and #2) what are two or three items most important to the staff.
These steps have worked for us. And, these types of meetings can be held at any company no matter what the size – you don’t get a pass just because you own a small business. I would also offer you establish a common communication channel. We utilize Slack, a real-time messaging platform, which enables staff to encourage team-led ‘give and take.’
I’m absolutely thrilled our team and these 6 steps were critical to what we’ve built over the years. I welcome your thoughts about what works at your organization – I can be reached at jp@moerycompany.com. Good luck. I’m pullin’ for ya!