Growing your business is a good thing. But sometime while you are growing your revenues, customers, and your staff expands you may face new management challenges in your business. There are often struggles with cash flow, building new processes and maintaining your company culture. There’s a big difference between being a mom and pop shop to adding managers to your business.
When your business is small, it is easy to adopt a casual company culture where employees get their work done on their own timeframe rather than punching a clock. But what happens when you have a much larger team and multiple projects to manage? You will need to put formal processes in place as it may become difficult to hold a larger staff accountable for deliverables.
Here’s how you can find that balance between scaling your business and keeping your company culture.
1. Focus on Culture Fit with New Hires
When your business starts to expand, it can be hard to focus on that culture you worked so hard to create and maintain, but it’s essential that you do. With each new hire, ask yourself how well this candidate would fit in with the business culture. If, for example, you’ve established a work-hard-play-hard mentality in the office, does this applicant seem like she would be willing to work 60 hours weeks sometimes, and be happy with the after-hours party you throw when your team meets its numbers?
In training new hires, make sure that company culture is outlined and explained. A new employee might see the foosball table in the breakroom and assume that anyone can stop working whenever they feel like it to play, when in reality you use it as a place to brainstorm on new projects. If you onboard new hires around your company culture, you will be able to spread it to the next generation of staff in your company.
2. Stay Accessible
As the head of your company, you are always busy. That will increase as your business grows. It’s easy to get out of touch with your staff, but do everything you can to avoid that. When you see an employee in the hall, check in and see how they’re doing. Hold regular staff meetings— where you can get a status check on projects as well as just shoot the breeze. Be available to your team without undermining your managers. Your staff needs to know that nothing’s changed and that you’re still the open and accessible boss you always have been.
3. Maintain Company Traditions
If you’ve had a company picnic every year since you first launched your business, why stop that now? Your traditions may need to adapt as you scale, but it’s important that you stay true to them: you might not be able to afford to fly your newly-expanded staff of 100, to Disney but you could meet at the local amusement park for a family day.
Traditions give your old guard employees something to hold onto as your business grows. These are the value adds of working in your business. They’re also what keep your employees connected. If you want them to work hard for you be sure that you are giving them an outlet to connect outside of work. Often when a small business gets larger, it loses some of that family feel. Don’t let that happen your business. Your culture is why people enjoy coming to work, if you lose it or make bad hires you risk making that company culture disappear.
4. Solicit Regular Feedback
If you’re not in the office as much as you used to be, it’s important to check in with your employees (especially managers) to see if and how things are changing. They are the culture police, and they will let you know what the rumor mill is saying. Make it clear that you want to keep everyone happy. Be open to feedback and suggestions. Part of what makes your small business amazing is that it has a culture that a giant corporation can’t duplicate. Your staff need to know that you appreciate them.
When you do have staff meetings acknowledge team members who have done an outstanding job. Your employees may feel invisible to you, and may not push themselves as hard as they used to without being acknowledged. Show them you’re paying attention to their efforts and they will keep your business going.
It’s important to remember your small business roots, don't grow so much that you stop enjoying your workplace. Keep in mind why you started your business and what you wanted it to stand for. You worked hard to create a certain culture. Do all your can to protect it from those who might not respect it.
This article was originally published as How to Maintain Your Company Culture with Rapid Growth on www.succeedasyourownboss.com