Imagine you just got a new job. You’re brimming with enthusiasm, only to discover that you’re expected to work 7 to 7 (on the dot!), your coworkers are cold and cutthroat, your boss micromanages you, your incentives are laughable and you sit in a gray cubicle in an office with no windows. If this sounds anything like your company, we’ve got to talk!
Throughout our careers, many of us have experienced less than stellar work environments. Some corporate cultures are simply nonexistent and others are downright awful. What many business owners and executives don’t realize is that culture affects more than just your reviews on Glassdoor. It can dramatically impact your brand and your bottom line.
Culture can be defined as “how we do things around here.”
Many would be shocked to learn that company culture is an essential pillar of a powerful brand strategy. But the reality is that brand and culture are integrally linked. In fact, you could consider your culture to be the internal counterpart to your external-facing brand. They’re like two sides of the same coin.
Consider a company like Google that has been renowned for its worker-friendly workplaces, world-class benefits, progressive policies and “googliness”. Not only has this helped them attract world-class talent, it has undeniably contributed to their mystique, their brand equity and of course, their tremendous success. Here’s why.
Strong Culture Drives Business Growth
The stats don’t lie! According to the National Center for the Middle Market, brands with a strong, ingrained culture experience 4x greater growth than companies with an unclear, muddle culture.
This makes sense. A strong culture can:
- Attract top-tier talent
- Increase employee satisfaction
- Increase employee loyalty/decrease attrition
- Increase productivity and performance
- Drive innovation
- Improve customer experiences and satisfaction
- Foster ongoing improvement and growth
All of these are meaningful factors in the growth of your business.
Why Culture Matters More for Challenger Brands
Culture matters for all brands, but for challenger brands, in particular, culture is everything. That’s because it is the challenger mindset that makes you who you are. It enables you to rally a super-team around a larger-than-life dream… and actually achieve it! Simply, you don’t have challenger brand if you don’t have a challenger culture.