One of the best company cultures is Disney. What are some examples of Disney’s culture and how did they come about? I have had the privilege of attending Disney Institute classes and it is very impressive to see how the culture of Disney is framed and delivered everyday. Before I give a couple examples of Disney’s company culture lets talk about what a company culture means.
A company culture is a set of virtues, values and behaviors that over time become a way of corporate life. The culture becomes a set of systems. The systems are expressed through a mission or vision statement.
What are some examples of Disney’s company culture. Well, one thing that is of note is a list of “non-negotiables” when you start with the company. This is a list of things they will not change.This means that if you want to work for Disney you must put in the time with Disney. From starting with a lower wage to how you will dress and present yourself. Disney promotes about 70% within their company. Which means if you serve Disney over time they will give you a very good chance for promotion. One other example is how clean Disneyland and Disney World are for theme parks. As I understand this need for cleanliness started with Walt. He understood that the amusement parks pre-Disneyland were dirty and unkempt. He designed Disneyland to be just the opposite. Clean, Clean, Clean. It was the will and thought of the companies leader that changed the face of theme parks.
So where does a chiropractic company culture start? It starts with its leader. You as a doctor of chiropractic and its founder must have a mission statement based upon why your company exists.
Beyond your mission statement, you as owner must set a moral compass by which you make your list of non-negotiable items. These are the beginnings of your specific set of systems. What are your expectations of how your employees should act, dress and behave?
Whether you know it or not they will take their cues from watching you (most of the time). As the boss do you go home early? Are you on time for appointments? Is your behavior consistent in and out of the office?
You can see why being the leader and the boss is not always the easiest place to be. You are held to a higher standard than the rest of the company. Tough stuff. Not everyone is cracked up to create good systems based on ideas and morals so think about this prior to opening a chiropractic practice.
Not every employee will agree with your leadership. Give your future employees every opportunity to make the decision whether or not they want to work in your company culture by expressing your expectations up front. By doing this you are creating a system of hiring and company conduct. Be specific on what you want in a an employee. I have steered from this system of listing my non-negotiables up front and regretted later.
With every mistake comes opportunity to create new systems.
Example- We had one of our acupuncturists on staff go out on maternity. We (company officers) felt compelled as a company to make her’s a paid maternity leave.
Good company cultures will naturally eject (employee quits) people that get through the interview process to collect a paycheck. They simply will feel the pressure of not fitting in.
These are just couple examples of how to get started. Ask questions
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