The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

It is more important than ever before that sales organizations focus increased attention on emotional intelligence. As a sales performance company focused on turning talent into performance, we see evidence every day that when leaders are more self-aware and more aware of others, they are more successful.

Companies with highly-engaged employees grow revenue 2.5x as much as those who don't, and engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their organization. Creating and building a company culture of engagement is vital to a healthy company and business growth.

Over the last few years, company culture has been a hot topic in corporate America. Companies geared towards Millennials tout game rooms and espresso machines, and most companies are having serious discussions about how to create the right atmosphere. Ask any manager trying to recruit talent, and they will tell you that culture matters. A few bad reviews on an employment website, and talent will look right past your company for one with a “great culture.” So how do you create the right culture to attract top talent? And more importantly, how do you get your current employees, and most importantly, your leaders, to buy into that culture?

Many organizations have multiple generations represented in the workplace and with that, a plethora of stereotypes that come along with each generation. While it may not be intentional, individual bias can have a significant impact on employee engagement. Bias can sometimes provide a false direction on how to lead a team, so be sure you aren’t using generational stereotypes to influence your decisions. 

For example, the now current largest generation at work, Millennials or Gen Y, are often characterized job hoppers, lazy and entitled. When you take bias out of the conversation, we know that Millennials seek career progression, can work well independently or in groups, and feel accomplished when contributing to something meaningful at work.  

Millennials aren’t the only generation with stereotypes. Bias also crosses over into Gen X and Baby Boomers. Gen X has been characterized in the workplace as control freaks, so they work best alone and aren’t team players or Boomers who have been stereotyped as set in their ways and uncompromising to change.  

You can probably imagine the conflict and lack of productivity that might arise in an organization if cross-generations are asked to collaborate amongst all the bias that surrounds each generation. As Gen Z begins to come into the fold, more bias could, too. Or, maybe you’re not imagining this scenario because it’s your reality and you are living it every day! 

Either way, increasing employee engagement ultimately helps you reduce regrettable turnover, increase productivity, and can help you retain and grow your best customers.

Culture is powerful, and like brand, you’re going to have one whether you like it or not. The best organizations to work for are the ones that recognize this and actively strive to push the right buttons every day to build a positive climate and a culture of engagement.

Spend time studying the most successful companies with the strongest cultures and you will find they have clearly-defined values and they navigate their way with a strong sense of purpose and cause. Employees who work at these companies can clearly articulate their values and they believe they can be themselves at work because they truly belong.

Workforce agility is necessary for any company to adapt to a rapidly-changing environment, and it’s safe to say that many companies today are operating in rapidly changing environments. As a leader, are you prepared to embrace and manage change without a reduction in performance?

If you are, then you likely have a strong culture of engagement and the seven essential power skills needed for success. However, if you are questioning whether or not you are on the right track to best manage and profit from change, I encourage you to read on.

Building a culture of engagement is a process that requires a commitment to transparency, integrity, and the desire to develop and grow your people. It also requires you as a leader to master the use of soft skills and hard skills at the same time. Soft skills are the innate ability or talent and hard skills include experience and expertise. Together, they are power skills.

Company culture is a vital component of a successful business -- or at least that's what 'they' say. Studies show that it affects recruitment and hiring top talent as well as retention and employee engagement. It's a baseline for productivity and can set the tone for work ethic, expectations, team camaraderie, and even brand recognition. 

You hear the words bounced around. "Company culture" is a term that a lot of people are talking about. But what are they doing about it? Is it really impacting their organizations? I decided to dig in and see what I could find as far as the impact company culture is playing in organizations. Here's what I found. 

Culture first… all the other stuff after that! 

“Until I came to IBM, I probably would have told you that culture was just one among several important elements in any organization’s makeup and success – along with vision, strategy, marketing, financials, and the like… I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game, it is the game. In the end, an organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value.”                             - Louis V. Gerstner, JR – former CEO of IBM 

Most organizations dealing with performance issues miss this point. Traditional logic dictates performance improvement is tied to any or all of these factors:

• Product
• People
• Process

Don’t get me wrong, these things are important, but they are not as important as culture. 

Music can help you push through a difficult workout, it can calm your nerves, and it can even get you pumped up and geared towards success. Music can have a powerful impact on your mindset, and using music and the right rhythm to support positive thoughts could definitely get your sales performance headed in the right direction.

Abba — Money, Money, Money

Listen to it here.

“Money, money, money. Must be funny. In the rich man’s world.” What do we all work for? Money, right? To some extent, for sure! The key to this song is honing in on your motivation. “All the things I could do if I had a little money.” What are those things? What do you want to use and spend your money on? Home improvements? A new car? A family vacation? Define those things and create a visual target or vision board that you will see every day. Know exactly what you want to make, and sometimes more importantly WHY.

Where's your motivation? What lights your fire?

Pet Shop Boys — Opportunities

Listen to it here.

“I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks. Let’s make lots of money.” To me this song really speaks to using your resources. Who and what do you have around you to help make your ideas bigger and stronger? What could you tap into to make you feel more informed? What areas do you need to improve in or what areas do you find you are lacking skills or knowledge? How can you close that gap? Using your resources helps to ensure you are maximizing each opportunity to the fullest extent. “Oh there’s a lot of opportunities if you know when to take them.”

Are you using your resources?