8 steps for cultivating an inspiring workplace culture

Company culture can make or break a business.

I’ve seen it in several companies that I’ve started or worked for. In my experience leading teams over the past 10 years, the CEO almost always dictates a startup’s culture.

When I was running an agency eight years ago, my business was struggling. I let this affect the culture of our team. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, this was demotivating our entire company—so much that we closed shop and let everyone go.

Since my failure, I’ve learned that to succeed in business, you have to succeed in relationships. You have to motivate your employees to the point that they would do anything for the business. Here are a few tips I’ve used over the years to develop a successful company by energizing my team members:

1. Be honest—all the time. No company is perfect or successful all the time. In order for your whole team to be on board with you, you have to be as honest as you can about your accomplishments, potential setbacks and what you need from your team. Better communication about common goals yields better results.