Glenn Leingang is the Chief Development Officer at Generator Supercenter.
With recent research showing that strong company culture can increase employee engagement by a stunning 72%, many business leaders are looking for ways to create robust and inclusive company culture to keep employees happy and fulfilled in their work. However, in the era of remote work, business leaders often struggle to build a strong company culture. Franchises face some of the same challenges as organizations with many remote employees: Given the sprawl of a franchise, creating a cohesive set of organizational values and identity can be difficult.
As a seasoned franchise developer, I’ve been building company culture in far-flung locations for a long time—so I have some experience with these challenges. Building a company culture in a franchising environment can be tough, but it’s also an exciting opportunity to create a cohesive identity that unifies franchise owners and their employees. And many of these lessons apply to team leaders trying to get their people on the same page and working happily towards common goals.
Here are a few tips for building a strong company culture, straight from the franchising industry:
1. Establish a mission statement.
Be clear about the values your company holds, and ensure they are shared by your franchise owners—or, in non-franchising companies’ cases, your teams across your organization. Consider factors such as collaboration, quality, innovation and integrity. These values should guide all business decisions and communications. In our franchise, the mission is clear: We provide peace of mind to our customers, serve as an outstanding partner to our suppliers and change the lives of our team members by giving respect and the opportunity for financial growth. To think and act in alignment as a company, every decision we make must be viewed through the lens of our mission.
2. Communicate regularly.
Frequent and open communication is essential for building a strong culture. Keep franchisees or organizational teams informed about developments within the company, and encourage them to share updates about their own ventures and goals. Everyone must have a voice and communication and collaboration across departments is imperative. It can be challenging at times to stop and thoroughly communicate to our partners or our employees everything that we are working on, especially as it impacts them. However, we have learned that doing so is as vital as the next breakthrough or novel idea.
3. Develop training programs.
Franchise owners and their employees, just like employees in any business, need to understand the expectations and standards of the company. Training programs can ensure that everyone understands company policies and standards, and also that they know how to use any relevant technologies. Standardizing training ensures all franchisees are operating with the same level of expertise. In our franchise, we desire to offer outstanding customer experience from California to New York. Our franchise operations team trains employees not only in the “how” but also the “why,” and this is vital to the success of our brand.
4. Foster a supportive community.
Franchise owners and employees should always feel supported and connected to one another. Encourage sharing of information, experiences and resources. A supportive community means franchisees or employees can request feedback, ideas or help with a particular topic without worrying that it will negatively impact them. Our operations team has been very intentional about creating touchpoints in person and through Zoom to allow our partners’ voices to be heard and to connect with one another. This is yet another way team leaders can stay attuned to the needs and concerns of their team members. There is incredible power in community, and it’s important for organizational leaders to remain intentional about fostering that sense of cohesion by taking advantage of and creating opportunities for human connection.
5. Recognize and celebrate contributions.
In our franchise, we recognize the franchise owners who are making exceptional contributions to the business and share their success stories with the entire franchise network. Company leaders seeking to elevate their employees would unquestionably benefit from doing the same. A simple “thank you” or gift or reward can go a long way in boosting morale and building a sense of shared purpose. I can’t ever recall a time in my life that I regretted showing someone honor. Earnest celebration of partner and employee achievements should be part of any successful organization’s DNA.
Every company has a culture—the question is if it’s one that serves and elevates the company’s purpose and people, or if it just creates disgruntled and unhappy employees who are unproductive and can’t wait to leave. Franchise leaders, like company leaders, need to take stock and truly reflect on what kind of company culture they have. Then, they need to envision what their ideal would be—and work tirelessly to create it, implement it, and inspire their people with it every single day.
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