Share this article
Welcome to Bite Size – our bi-monthly blog where we explore a topic in bite size form – short, sharp and easy to digest
“There comes a time when you ought to start doing what you want. Take a job that you love. You will jump out of bed in the morning. I think you are out of your mind if you keep taking jobs that you don’t like because you think it will look good on your resume. Isn’t that a little like saving up sex for your old age?”
Warren Buffet
Assuming you are in paid employment from the age of 18 through to retirement age you will spend 92,120 hours in the workplace throughout your life.
It seems tragic to think that these hours could be wasted in an environment you don’t like. It is up to leaders to create workplaces that are engaging, challenging and a good place to be.
We’re not just talking just the softer aspects, e.g. fresh fruit, coffee machines and break-out areas. We’re talking about the culture of a company because a healthy and happy culture actually makes good business sense.
If a leader isn’t clear on its mission or values and the employees don’t believe in them or want to be there, a good product or service will stagnate.
When unaligned or unintentional cultures don’t agree and the values conversation is never articulated, productivity doesn’t happen. Employees become unhappy, arguments ensue, people choose sides and employee retention goes out the window.
It is the leader’s job to set the vision, the strategy, and the culture to achieve it. It is their job is to grow the company and the people.
So, take some time to revisit your values, decide how they can be lived in the workplace, and most importantly, figure out how to hire to them. You can have a company you love, but more importantly, you can create one that others love working for.