“IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO MY OFFICE OR SEEN ONE OF MY MORNING MEETINGS, YOU KNOW THAT CULTURE IS IMPORTANT TO MY BUSINESS.“

– Grant Cardone

I always look for a way to monetize my ideas, and the culture of my business allows me and my team to execute that plan.

Why?

Because speed is one of my core values and I train my staff on that every day. I’ve built a team that shares my values, that represents what’s important inside and outside the office to my customers. They are aligned.

When you come to my morning meeting, you’ll see that everyone is positive and brings a lot of energy. I don’t allow negativity in my office. “No negativity” is a staple of my culture.

WHY CULTURE IS IMPORTANT

As a business leader, you have to be a winner to create winners. You create the culture that your team follows. If you don’t like something that is going on, it’s because of you. That is the beginning of developing a culture in your company that wins.

I love what Andy Frisella said about culture at the 10X Growth Conference 2. He thinks we’ve lost touch with the concept of winning—that it’s ridiculous that everyone’s a winner now. When it comes to sports, the better team wins. Or that’s how it used to be. We need to go back to that black or white view of winning because that’s the reality.

There is no gray area—you either win in life or you don’t.

Creating a culture that wins starts with embracing the concept of what a winner is—someone who is better than the opponent. We’ve grown soft handing out trophies to 15th place. There is only one spot for the gold medalist. Commit to getting the gold, to being the best, a winner.

HOW YOU CREATE CULTURE

Personal details matter. How you do one thing is how you do everything. A lot of people disregard the small things thinking that it doesn’t carry over to other areas of their life. That’s just wrong. If you see paper on the bathroom floor and don’t pick it up because it’s “not your job,” that type of thinking affects your business.

What are your core values? To build your culture, you have to know what you stand for.

If you say that taking responsibility is one of your core values but you don’t even pick up the paper off the ground, you’re not aligned. What kind of message do you think that sends to your employees?

As an entrepreneur and business leader, creating a winning culture is your responsibility.

Who you say you are and how you act have to be the same thing. If you want great employees, you have to set the example in word and deed. Everything comes down from the top. Your team learns how to act by watching you.

If you have a problem in your company look to what you’re teaching your team. You might not be congruent with your core values, saying one thing then doing another. No wonder why you have a hard time keeping people with you for more than a year.

THE STEPS TO CREATE CULTURE

Identify Your Core Values—Spend the time to understand what is important to you. Is it discipline, no negativity, taking action, responsibility? You have to lay it all out…

Communicate Your Core Values—Hold your team accountable to your core values. Train your team to follow them by speaking about their importance on a regular basis. If someone messes up, remind them of your culture and the core value they violated. They’ll see the value in what you’re trying to do and why it’s important.

Make Your Mission Known—Like Ed Mylett said at 10X Growth Conference—you have to be the champion of your cause. Spread the word, over-and-over again, about the mission you’re on. Take every opportunity to tell your mission to your employees and your customers.

Own Your Mistakes—Accept full responsibility when you mess up. If your intentions are clear that you’re trying to do the right thing but you mess up, it’s easier for people to understand and forgive you. You not going to live by your core values perfectly. Own it when you fall off track.

Creating a culture is not a mystical process. It doesn’t just happen. It’s intentional, not accidental. If you say your company doesn’t have anything like that, that’s not your company’s fault, it’s yours. It starts with the leader. You have to create the culture you want and build the habits of your core values into your daily operations!

If you’d like help creating a great culture in your business, come to the next 10X Business Boot Camp.

Be Great,

GC