“Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first,” business visionary Simon Sinek Tweeted in 2014, and for a moment there, a hush fell over the “business Twitter” community. With all due respect to Sinek, it’s not as if this was anything everyone didn’t already know. However, for many, this truism brought up a disquieting question: How? How, exactly, does a company engender engagement, let alone, positivity, among its employees?
Exela’s President, Suresh Yannamani, recently spoke about how company culture can and should be shaped (assuming you care about long-term success, which we assume you do). “Whatever the age of your company, your culture emanates from the top — so leadership must take steps to mold it,” Suresh writes. Here are some of the steps he has found particularly useful in his decades of experience:
Start off with a celebratory/welcome meal
“When a new employee starts, take them out to dinner,” Suresh suggests. “I’ve found this helps to unify the working group and make every new team member feel valued,” especially when senior managers or C-suite members are able to participate. That one meal is, in the big picture, a very small gesture, but Suresh has found it has a large impact. “It can really send a positive message about each employee’s value, regardless of rank.”
Cultivate a management style that’s accessible
Some employees do a good job because that’s just “how they do.” Some are less about the intrinsic rewards and more about recognition. It’s important for leaders to recognize this, and it’s good practice to recognize good work, as opposed to regarding it as “part of the job.” Let’s assume for the moment you’re in a management position, and one of your reports knocks it out of the park with regard to a particular project. How do you feel? Happy? Proud? Let your employee know, Suresh suggests. Validation is a big deal, and it’s not to be underestimated.
Engage employees by joining together to engage with the community
People feel good when they do good. So it stands to reason employees will feel good about a company that encourages them to do good. That’s how we roll at Exela. “At my company, we don’t just work together — we run together,” Suresh says, referring to the many charity races in which the company participates in various locales each year. It’s a great way to “build camaraderie outside of the office and do some good in the process.”
Of course, companies looking to execute a successful charitable program such as #ExelaGivesBack should be aware it’s a bit of a balancing act. “Fun” can’t be forced. Nor can giving. “Ideally, the company covers the costs,” Suresh explains.
“Show us your X”
Well, that’s how we do it here at Exela. Chances are, once you onboard at Exela, it’s not long before you're first introduced to the “sign of the X”-- forearms held out in front of the body in the shape of an “X.” Whenever there’s a photo opportunity at Exela, it’s an opportunity to “show us your X.” “These images help reinforce our united mentality and bring our diverse global teams together as a unified whole,” notes Suresh. It engenders a feeling of “we’re in this together,” not unlike that feeling you get when you see a stranger wearing a hat with your team’s or your school’s name on it. “Anything that contributes to a feeling of pride and privilege to be part of the team can work,” Suresh adds, as long as it feels natural and isn’t “forced.”
Is getting employees to feel the company love a challenge? Of course. Is it even more challenging when you’re a global company with employees from wildly different backgrounds scattered throughout the world? Obviously. That’s how it is with Exela. However, as Suresh concludes, “by having some fun outside of work, giving back to our communities together, and reinforcing our unity as a global family, we’re able to build a culture that works for us. Doing the same in your organization will go a long way toward creating valuable connections and inspiring unity.”
