As The Scalability Coach, one of my main aims is to help you grow your business, without you being a slave to it.  To create a business that you own, rather than one that owns you.

And this is why we focus so much on Culture, because if you get that right, then you don’t even need to be there to manage it.

Your culture should be designed to alleviate stress.

To sustain enthusiasm and happiness amongst your team.

Because an engaged, happy workforce means more productivity.

Let me give you a real, personal example….

At the end of the 1980’s, I started as Back Office Support Manager in a small retail outlet.

This time in my life still remains the best from a working perspective (and it wasn’t because I was twenty-one, driving around in an Astra GTE 16v company car, and working in software at a time when the gaming world went crazy).

• I was given a clear role to build the office supply side of the business.
• I became an expert in software for small businesses.
• It was all about the customer and helping solve a problem.
• And we had a perfect system – we were setting them up, helping them buy-in to the technology, teaching them lessons, being alert to their changing needs and then moving them forward.

But, it was due in main to our Manager, Mike. He was a gentle and fair man who was very good at his job and earned respect rather than demanded it.

My work colleagues and I had SO much respect for Mike that we often took matters into our own hands by fronting up to other staff who took his gentle approach as being soft.  Of course, he was fully capable of dealing with this himself, we just sped up their exit a little.

Mike created a fantastic environment to work in. We pulled together when we needed to, to achieve the results, and relaxed a little when it was appropriate.

I’m sharing this fond memory with you to demonstrate the importance of aligning your values, team and environment.

Even without you there, your employees will be weeding out those not on board or disrupting the status quo.