Creating the Work Culture You Want - Aunie Brooks
Aunie Brooks | Executive VP of Suit and Shepherd
I’ve been blessed in my time with the Household Group of Companies to be part of a beautiful work culture. Not only is it a place where we are free to integrate our faith with our work, but it’s also a place where employees are cared for, fun is encouraged, and lifelong relationships are built. I’m not alone in my affinity for the culture because in March 2021, our mortgage company, Trinity Oaks Mortgage, was named the #1 Mortgage Company to Work for in the nation by National Mortgage News.
One question leaders from other organizations ask us is how we created our work culture with our employees. To answer this question, let’s first reflect on this idea of “culture.”
Have you ever entertained questions like: Why do we wave our hand in the air when we want to greet someone? Who came up with the idea of shaking someone’s hand when meeting them for the first time? How did Americans collectively agree that nodding your head up and down communicates active listening, but Indians decided that bobbling your head left to right does? Culture is simply the collection of human behaviors accepted and understood by a community. When humans come together and define which behaviors they collectively think are good, bad, or simply tolerable, they establish a culture. One of the most exciting parts of leading a business or organization is the opportunity to shape the culture for the group of humans within your company.
Shaping culture sounds daunting, but it can be quite simple. It starts with determining how you want people to behave when they come to work every day. What behaviors should be so “normal” in your environment that no one even blinks an eye when they encounter it?
A few behaviors not worth blinking an eye over within the Household Group Companies are:
● Employees at Trinity Oaks Mortgage putting a few golf balls down the hallway because the managers know the value of a good mental break.
● Employees at headquarters finding their office hijacked by an elf on the shelf with the CEO’s face on it because the Fun Squad knows the value of holiday fun.
● John Houston Homes executive leaders dropping money in a jar as a penalty for showing up late to a meeting because they know the value of everyone’s time.
● Taking that jar of money and donating it to the company’s philanthropic projects because they know the value of caring for their community.
Many accepted behaviors happen unintentionally, but you can be as intentional with them as you want. Here are some simple steps to get you started:
Make your own list of behaviors you want to be the norm where you work.
Share your list with other influencers in the company and allow them to add to the list.
Together, define a set of rules of engagement for teams that will help drive those behaviors.
Identify creative ways to hold people accountable when they break a rule of engagement (like dropping money in the philanthropy jar).
The most important thing you can do to influence culture is to consistently behave that way yourself. Whether you are the CEO or hold an entry-level position, you have the power to shape culture simply by modeling behavior that you hope others will adopt. I remember staring at a poster in my teacher’s class once in elementary school that said, “If you want to have friends, be a friend.” It was so simple yet profound, and it changed how I saw the art of making friends. Instead of waiting for others around me to be friendly, I decided to go be friendly myself. Instead of waiting for others around you to change the accepted normal behavior in your company, go behave that way yourself! On my first day on the job, CEO and founder John Houston talked about business through the lens of his faith, and I’ve heard it in every meeting with him since. We build culture through personal conviction, behavior, and consistency.
What culture can you create at your workplace?