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Beth Graybill

  /  Articles   /  The Importance of Your Organizational Personality

Can you describe the personality of your team or your organization?

I’ve learned a lot about identifying and developing organizational personalities from my dear friend + leadership consultant, Jenni Catron. Jenni often says, “Leaders are ‘Keepers of Culture’.” And what she means by that is this:

“Leaders know that a great team culture requires deliberate effort. Teams will work better with one another, they’ll go above and beyond the call of duty, they’ll invest themselves personally, and they’ll own their wins and their losses more honestly when they are a part of a healthy environment.”

According to Jenni, healthy organizational environments are characterized by:

  • leaders of integrity
  • intolerance for discrimination
  • strong systems, policies, and procedures
  • organizational alignment that promotes shared goals and achievable results
  • identified organizational “personality” that captures the spirit of the organization

Think about companies you know who have a great organizational personality. Here are a few I would add to the list: Google. Zappos, REI, Kimpton Hotels, Whole Foods, CarMax, Salesforce.com, and others.

Every single day, hundreds of energetic individuals are clamoring to work for these companies. And if you’re willing to create a healthy organizational culture, they will be clamoring to work for you, too!

“People aren’t afraid to work,” says Jenni. “They’re afraid to have to work in a place that drains the life out of them.”

So, if you are heading into a season of hiring, rebranding or company growth, take the time to create a healthy organizational culture. Use Jenni’s checklist above or check out the 2-Day Intensive Workshop Jenni + her team at The 4Sight Group created to helping you create a healthy, sustainable and thriving culture in your organization.

If you’ve already started this journey and feel stuck or need some additional perspective, let me help you!  Send me and email with the title “org culture” and a few details, and I’ll reach out with some next steps: beth@bethgraybill.com