Feb. 10, 2021

This paid event piece is sponsored by Keystone Group International.

Is your company culture a competitive advantage?

Most businesses would struggle to give a definitive “yes” – for a lot of reasons.

Culture as a word is overused but rarely understood, said Jaime Taets, owner and CEO of Twin Cities-based Keystone Group International, which partners with businesses to ensure their strategy is strong, their people are engaged and their culture is a competitive advantage.

“Culture is a nebulous thing that all business leaders agree is important, yet we have no idea how to impact it,” she said.

“Times are changing, and culture is becoming a more popular area of study. Studies are providing data that proves the connection between culture and business results. Yet many leaders and organizations still do not know how to use their culture as a competitive advantage.”

Navigating today’s changing business environment requires focusing on culture in order to achieve an organization’s strategy.

An upcoming virtual event will be broadcast live from the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 25. It invites participants to become more aware of and conscious of the state of your company culture and what specifically needs to be improved to lead a great company.

“Developing a conscious culture is imperative for your organization to navigate the waters ahead,” Taets said.

“Just talking about it is no longer enough – business leaders have to figure out the first step to making their culture a competitive advantage.”

Taets’ belief that strong leadership and a change-resilient culture are the foundation for sustainable growth drives her work with clients.

Harnessing her own leadership experiences, she inspires real and sometimes challenging discussions about the crossroads between high performance and healthy change.

One of the most foundational elements when it comes to company culture is trust, she said.

According to Gallup, one in three employees feel they cannot trust their leadership team.

“Many employees feel their leadership teams aren’t transparent in communicating their business strategy or business changes,” she said.

“Employees and leadership teams must build trust with each other. The changing business climate has created a need for our teams to increase their resiliency, and the way to do that is by creating an environment of trust.”

Three key areas have the most impact on business results, Taets added, and a deliberate focus on culture can strengthen all of them.

High performance

Studies show that employees are using only around 40 percent of their total capabilities. We are not tapping into their full potential and working to understand their strengths to ultimately harness them for the benefit of the employee and the organization.

Creative thinking and innovation

Today’s business problems require different thinking than we used previously. Yet as leaders, we feel the weight of solving these problems ourselves. A strong culture creates empowered and innovative people who will increase the quality and quantity of ideas they bring to the table.

Employee experience

Define a positive culture as a place where people leave each day better than when they came in. A culture and focus on employee experience are what ensures this happens. And when people are spending their days doing work that energizes and challenges them, the business wins.

“We’ve all heard it before: Employees that feel fulfilled and engaged are more productive. I learned a long time ago that if you want a healthy business, you must first make sure your employees are healthy,” said Chris Ekstrum, president and CEO of The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, who will be on the panel for the event.

“It all starts with culture. When you focus on culture, employees wake up excited to support the mission, they look forward to the challenges, and they are in it for more than the paycheck.”

Recent times have proved that workplace culture is key to the success of an organization and its people, added Rana DeBoer, chief culture officer for the city of Sioux Falls, who also will be on the panel.

“I’m looking forward to having this conversation with our local businesses. We will discuss the direct benefits culture has on an organization and the incredible impact workplace culture has on our community,” she said.

“I hope everyone can gain a tip or two on how to define and embed a great workplace culture in their organization.”

Tickets to join the event virtually are available for $15, and all event profits will go to the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship.

Visit culturecohort.com/events to learn more and register for the event.