Give time and reap the rewards of a rich workplace culture

In this fast-paced, always-on world that we live, receiving the undivided attention of anyone almost never happens. The thing is your undivided attention is the most powerful gift that you can give.

Giving of your time and undivided attention is a secret to creating a magnetic culture that attracts long term success. And that’s why making it a part of everything you do is such an advantage.

An inclusive family culture is based upon having constructive and helpful conversations with customers, clients, workmates, suppliers and anyone else you bump into. Meaningful, memorable conversations lead to strong connections and long-term relationships. Long-term relationships are the key to an enduring culture and ongoing success in business.

‘Speak and act as if you have all the time in the world, nothing is too much trouble’: this is one of the first things that new members of The Physio Co family are reminded to do every minute of every day when they join our team. Not only with the elderly clients that we visit, but, with their workmates, suppliers, potential clients and everyone else they interact with.

This early message from day one is reinforced and lived continuously because it’s a critical part of our core values. The Physio Co’s core value of Respect Everyone describes in great detail the importance of giving our full attention:

Building a strong culture is the highest of high priorities at The Physio Co. Every day, new hires and existing team members hear stories of team members living our core values. Story after story reinforces the importance of speaking and acting as if you have all the time in the world.

Giving of your time and attention is just one of the free things you can do to build your culture. Do you have other freebies that you use to build a strong culture in your business? Please let me know or ask a question in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.

(NB: the opposite of ‘speak and act as if you have all the time in the world…’ is to rush around with your head down, appearing super-busy, super-important and completely unapproachable. I don’t know anyone that respects, likes or even wants to be around a person that dashes around like this.)

Tristan White is a husband to Kimberley and a dad to little Alexandra. He’s a qualified physiotherapist, ironman triathlete, blogger and CEO of The Physio Co – Australia’s eighth Best Place to Work. His passion is to build a strong family and workplace culture and share what he learns with the world. Tristan’s Culture is Everything blog was ranked by SmartCompany as one of Australia’s 25 Best Business Blogs in 2011.