How To Create Winning Business Culture?

By Yuri Amadin

Most of my problems in coaching small business usually is on the attitude of the business team as well as the owner. In my early years, I was so naive about this. I thought, just by showing them the business technical tricks, all their problems would vanish, but I was dead wrong.

Because I didnt realize how important the attitude is, many of my early coaching years came to me projecting my values of what I think should happen in that business. When I did that, the owner and the team was defensive. For those of you considering in getting a business coach to solve your business problems, becareful, do your research on whether the coach has enough flight time to help you solve problems. As years passed, my wisdom grew and I started producing consistent results to my clients. I found that “culture” or “attitude” is the trigger that will help business transformation in small and medium businesses.

With the right attitude, the coaching process and engagement between coach and coachees ran smoothly. Clients started to get more clarity and awareness on whats went on in this business. They were more willing to take ownership of what needs to be done in the business and that their accountability of their work is much higher. Now the question is, how can we create a winning business culture that are followed by the whole team and the owner:

• In the beginning of the coaching process, I usually started with what I called “positioning powerpoint”. In this powerpoint I describe the role of both coach and coachee, the principles that need to be applied for the coaching sessions to produce best results in the business. Although many of then understand and agree, when the coaching happens, these things are not embodied yet in their attitude. The attitude transformation, usually happens when we start to talk about setting up the business’ rules of the game or culture to transform the business.
• See when the business have been failing, it usually are reflected by the “Results” they are getting. Results came from “Actions” that they took in the past. Simply said, if the actions were wrong, the results will be wrong as well. Actions that they took were triggered by “ Feelings” that they had right before they took actions ; therefore, if the feelings were not right, it will make them took the wrong actions. Feelings came from “Thoughts”. They Thought of something and if they have the wrong thoughts or beliefs, their thoughts will be manifested to the wrong feelings, wrong actions and wrong results. Therefore, its obvious that to fix results, I need to fix their thoughts first, but carefully I need to draw their answers from them, not me projecting my values to them.
• Fixing their beliefs or thoughts has a trick to it. In the past, when I asked team on what attitude or rules of the game that needs to be in placed to make the business successful, many of them did not come out with the passionate right answer. It was because they were not ready at that time to be positive. So what I did, I played the opposite, much like Devil’s Acvocate. I asked them what attitud/beliefs or rules of the game that needs to happen to drive the business into bankruptcy. Many hands came up and I got many answers. Once I jot them all down, I asked them whether that it is what they want to happen. Once they say No, I asked the opposite of what I wrote.
• What attitudes/beliefs and rules of the game that needs to happen to transform the business from their present situation to their ideal situations. I used the negative list that I have written down and basically I asked them to come out with the opposite answer that they believe. Instantly, I got new winning culture that came from them. I gave them guidelines that these rules of the game need to represent core values that the owners, team, customers and what the business believe. Usually I asked them to write 3 values that represent each above, but again I asked, if they have to choose only one that they will be congruent to will be which ones.
• At last, we set some kind of rewards and punishments system to encourage the team to practice their rules of the game with the help of many aids such as framing them, putting these values on their computer screen , etc. I also teach them to calling people out and acknowledge their members if they do their values.

There you have it, my ways of helping small and medium businesses in creating winning business culture. If you would like to personally talk to me about your business issues such as this one or other business matters, please email me at bisnisgerilya@gmail.com with the subject of “10 Minute Consultation”.