An important key to the success of a business is its culture. I prefer to call it organizational spirit, because the most effective cultures are energetic and loyal.

I have worked for four organizations. Two had outstanding cultures, in which we worked hard, had a great time, shared and bounced ideas off one another. Our senior management team was well liked and respected, and we were dedicated to learning and growing in our jobs and our effectiveness. In short, we loved what we did, had pride in and loyalty to one another, and we were genuinely regarded as best in our field.

The other two organizations I worked for were not like that at all. The top people were thought to have a sense of self-importance, they were neither encouraging nor open to bottom-up ideas, and the cultures were heavily bureaucratic.

What a difference in the organizations that had outstanding cultures! The quality of the work we did and what we accomplished was consistently excellent. The organizations with egotistical leadership were almost paralyzed by comparison, and we experienced lots of turnover, which of course was rationalized.

Business landscape

In today’s business world, in which so many publically owned companies are driven to hit 90-day earning estimates, it is difficult to create outstanding cultures. The pressure on financial results is so strong that companies continually must do more with fewer people. As a result, people are working very hard. Couple this with the endless flow of emails and social media coming at us and most people are simply too busy to worry about culture.

Bottom line: we’re way too busy. It just isn’t right and that shows. Businesses are not doing great and the economy is still not in great shape.

It seems every company brags, “Our greatest asset is our people.” That is easy to say, but how many companies really back that up by investing in their people, treating them as valued team members and providing the resources to help them feel appreciated and supported?

The answer is not very many. Witness that up to 70 percent of the people working today would consider leaving for a new job, 32 percent are actively looking, 43 percent feel a lack of recognition, and 31 percent do not like their boss.

Spirit vs. culture

Here’s why I prefer the term organization spirit rather than culture. Culture begins with the spirit and enthusiasm of the people in the organization. Are your people:

• highly motivated

• energetic

• positive

• respectful of top management

• proud of their work and company

• helpful to one another?

Culture is created over time by the attitude and actions of the people. Our senior leaders must realize that they must earn the trust and respect of their people, every day! Respect and trust do not come with their title or office.

Leadership is influence. It’s how they carry themselves. It’s their attitude, their actions and their character. Top people simply have to get out of their offices, off their floors, and visit with their people. Ask them for their ideas and what resources they need, and treat them as teammates. They must be side by side with their people.

This takes humility. If senior leaders don’t have humility, there is trouble ahead. It is said that humility is the foundation of growth. I believe it is.

Top-down directives are not nearly as effective as bottom-up ideas. If we want people to have passion for their work and a sense of ownership and pride, they have to feel appreciated and heard. They have to know that their ideas matter.

It takes time to create this atmosphere within an organization. And it takes commitment to spend less time in meetings, at our computers and on conference calls. We simply have to have conversations with our people. That’s how we build outstanding and winning cultures.

Internal relationships and our culture are absolutely as important as any other responsibility. It’s not about working more hours. Definitely not. Instead, it’s about making sure we demonstrate to our people that we genuinely care about them, know and appreciate their ideas, and help them succeed.

Sure there are other things as well, certainly delivering results and dealing with problems on a timely basis, and also absolutely essential, we must be role models - communicating often and openly, and patiently listening to understand and learn. This is how we build organizational spirit and achieve the highest level of success, right now and over time.

Final message

Slow down and take the time to develop relationships. Organizational culture matters greatly, and begins with the morale, spirit and enthusiasm of its people.