Upgrading Your Business Personality

Every business has a personality. That may sound a bit odd at first, but it’s true, and once we accept and understand this concept, it means we can learn how to match our own business personality to those of other businesses.

Have you ever thought about what the personality of your business actually is? For some of us, it’s the very foundation of our whole business. For others, this might be a new concept.

When it comes to understanding your own business personality, there’s a sort of matrix of aspects that contribute. Think of it as two different scales. The first scale relates to how fun and relaxed we are, and the other scale is how focused we are.

The “focus” scale can run from very structured to very ad-hoc.

The “fun” scale runs from very serious to super light.

Where do you think your business would sit along these two scales?

If you’re very serious but very ad hoc, you can easily become unreliable and untrusting because your culture may be serious but the work you’re getting done isn’t always taken seriously.

Similarly, if you’re very light but very ad hoc, things tend to get a little messy.

If you find yourself sitting in an equal balance of very structured and very serious, you may be at risk of being inflexible, which can put a strain on all aspects of your business from your internal team to your client’s experience.

If you can keep the structured aspects going strong but try sliding your “fun” scale a little more towards the lighter end, you’ll find your business will become a lot more desirable, for the following reasons:

1. You’ll attract and retain really high-quality people, both staff and clients.
2. You’ll provide greater service because your team will enjoy what they’re doing.
3. You and your team stay motivated.
4. Ultimately, your business will generate more revenue creating more success for everyone involved.

In the next 30 days, what are three things you could change or do differently in your business to strike a perfect balance between structured and fun?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Gratitude Board

Start a little program in your office where each week/month team members write down something they’re grateful for. This can help reiterate things that are going well and create an overall more positive work environment.

Make Daily Processes Fun

Swap out a boring black-and-white report with a more engaging and interactive presentation or infographic document.

Improve Team Connection

Implement regular team activities that happen during work hours like a group meditation session or pizza Fridays. You might even bring in a ping-pong table and start a running tournament.

So the first key takeaway is that your staff are going to stick around longer, they’ll be happier, and ultimately

 more productive if your business personality balances structured processes and reliability with a fun and engaging environment.

Clients and leads will also be more attracted to you and satisfied with your service when they see that your whole operation is both efficient and enjoyable.

Finally, when you can make your business personality attractive to and aligned with other businesses, you’ll open up a whole new stream of opportunity with new referral partners, business alliances, and genuinely meaningful connections.