Guest Blog Post featuring Ken Majer, author of four books on values-based corporate culture and leadership values and member of the DTC Consultant Network.
December 22, 2016
Keeping new talent is only one of the many issues wineries face as the industry is facing many changes. There is a sea change in the shift to a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business model and it requires a change in the mindset of winery owners and other industry leaders.
The real challenge is how to adapt to changes in the industry. The good news that winery owners are not alone—virtually every industry is facing unprecedented changes at an alarming pace. The bad news is that change is here to stay.
Survival depends on having a healthy company that can deal with the increasing level of unanticipated changes that we will all inevitably be facing tomorrow.
Here are some telltale issues that may suggest your organization is not adapting to new realities. Any of these issues keeping you awake?
- It’s hard to find the right people to join my staff.
- Turnover is too high; I can’t seem to get staff to stick around. (Turnover is very, very expensive!)
- “Politics” get in the way of productivity.
- People speak negatively about others behind their backs.
- My team is not pulling together as much as I would like.
- My people are confused; they don’t seem to understand where we are going and why.
- Motivation is a problem.
- Morale is down.
These are only some of the signs that may suggest you might want to focus on fixing your culture before you keep trying “silver bullet” answers with new marketing approaches, new technologies, or coming up with a new strategic plan. Any one of these sleep-depriving issues above could derail your best intentions and get in the way of long-term success.
The key is to deal with the people issues, a.k.a., your company culture, before you do anything else. In the famous words from the godfather of business management, Peter Drucker, “culture eats strategy for lunch.”
You can create a healthy and adaptive culture by focusing on a common set of core values embraced by everyone in the company. A values-based culture will ensure that the whole team is pulling together toward reaching your business goals by setting clear behavioral expectations at work. And, it will provide a way of selecting people who “fit” into your company and stay with you for the long haul.
Other benefits: higher customer satisfaction, lower turnover, higher productivity, greater motivation, and higher morale. All of these will contribute to a healthier a better bottom-line.
To learn more about how to build a values-based culture go to www.kenmajer.com or call Dr. Ken Majer at (858) 395-2850 for a no obligation conversation about your specific issues and how solve them