Earlier today I had the opportunity to attend the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2012 Best Places to Work Awards ceremony at the Georgia Aquarium. A best places to work award ceremony is really a large celebration of business leaders that believe in the importance of corporate culture. My takeaway from the morning: a strong corporate culture is intentional.
Here a few thoughts from the best places to work awards ceremony and winning company commentaries:
- Employees are clearly put ahead of customers and investors
- Shared values are critical (one winner said they look for people that are nice, passionate, smart, and fun)
- Happy workspaces set the tone (an open, office-free environment was the recommendation from one winner)
- Multi-year award winners are common, showing that intentional corporate culture continues indefinitely
The next time you hear an entrepreneur talk about their great team, culture, or environment, there’s a good chance they’re intentional about making it great. Remember that corporate culture is the only sustainable competitive advantage that’s within the control of the entrepreneur.
What else? What are some other thoughts on strong corporate culture being intentional?
David Cummings on Startups 