"White Christmas" and Company Culture: Focus for Small Business

The Sprocket Report

Small business owners are a little tense in 2020, even during the holiday season. Like any organization, those in charge set the tone and culture for the rest of the group. What efforts are you making to set the right tone?

“White Christmas” is a favorite movie at this time of year. The main plot line follows Bob and Phil as they try to help out a commanding officer who inspired their loyalty years before. “We ate, and then he ate.” Bob recalls. “We slept, and then he slept.” The general's concern for his troops obviously made a huge impact on these guys, even though he also demanded from them commitment, effort, and respect.

We have witnessed many small business leaders demonstrate General Waverly-like leadership over the past year. Since COVID-19 has hit, some owners have taken pay cuts to keep workers employed while others figured out new ways to help staff continue doing their jobs at home. Marches and demonstrations over the summer prompted business owners to review their companies for biased behavior, both obvious and unspoken, and to rethink their hiring strategies. And as the people in our communities continue to struggle, small businesses are doing more than ever to support local charitable organizations. 

This kind of leadership is inspiring, for sure, and one of the things it can inspire is for all small business owners to consciously create and nurture a renewed company culture of their own. The new year is the traditional time to set goals, after all. 

• What is your company culture like now? You may not have committed it to paper, but there is one. Identifying it from both your point of view and that of your team is the starting point. 
   
• Next, think about what would you like to change. What would your colleagues and employees like to see changed? What would society as a whole like to see changed? How will you make these changes? 
   
• Every organization depends on its people. Helping your team grow, both professionally and personally, only makes your organization stronger. How can you provide that help? Building a more diverse team also strengthens your organization by providing new viewpoints from people of divergent ages, varying cultures, and different genders, so think through your hiring plan as well. 
   
• In order to share and refer to them, it’s important to put your company culture aspirations in writing, but never carved in stone. We are all evolving all the time and our company culture should evolve as well. 

Sprocket is just another small business working through the same issues this year as everyone else and we welcome discussion with other small biz owners. If you also want to discuss website functionality, online business tools, or social media marketing, we’re happy to talk about that as well, so just give us a call. And if you find yourself watching “White Christmas” this season, here are some fun facts about the movie. Enjoy!

Kate GingoldKate Gingold

I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

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2 comments on article ""White Christmas" and Company Culture: Focus for Small Business"

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Rene Richards

You are amazing !!

Merry Christmas !!

12/15/2020 11:38 AM

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Kate Gingold

Awww, thanks, Rene! We really appreciate it. And Merry Christmas to you, too!

12/15/2020 11:44 AM

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