How to Build a Culture That's Good for People, Profit and Purpose

Ceri Gott is an Executive and Team Coach who helps organisations grow in impact without losing what makes them special - by getting intentional about culture and the people who shape it, including themselves. She’s built her coaching businesses on a combination of geeky expertise and hands-on entrepreneurial experience, including 13 years as Chief Growth & Culture Officer at Hawksmoor. We asked her to share her 10 most impactful tips for how hospitality leaders can build a strong company culture. 

“A sustainable business builds an intentional culture to attract the right people, support them to do great work, and motivate them to stay and build a career,” says Ceri. “An unsustainable one is stuck in a cycle of panic hiring, inconsistent behaviour and practices that leak both morale and people. It’s unsurprising that McKinsey find that organisations in the top quartile for culture outperform those in the bottom quartile by a whopping 200% — it’s people’s time, talent and energy that bring a vision to life.” 

Read on for Ceri’s 10 best tips for building an intentional culture. 

1. Don't be an okay employer for everyone; be an outstanding place to work for the right people. Connect to what you care about and why — your purpose, vision, values and passion. Communicating this will attract people who are genuinely excited by what you're creating and motivate them. Culture lives in people, not policies or paperwork — above all else, it's about who you hire and who stays.
2. Put your values to work by translating them into behaviours. "Work hard and be nice to people" works because it's clear how everyone, in every role, should behave — and, when they do, it drives the right experience for customers, the team and the business. Culture isn't defined by words on a website, but by how people treat each other day in, day out.
3. Everyone deserves a good job: somewhere they feel proud to work; that supports their personal and professional development; where they have a good manager; where they have fair treatment; and where they have access to support when they need it. These are the five people promises I stand by. Make sure you live up to your promises by asking. Survey people about their experience. Look at responses by gender, race and other characteristics — if some groups aren’t benefiting equally from what you offer, then you’ll know and can act. People in decent jobs are more productive, and research shows they are also healthier and live longer. That's what it means to have a truly sustainable business, society and economy.
4. Delegate ownership, not just tasks. That means telling people what they're responsible for and what excellent looks like. This might be defined by a KPI target, a photo of the perfect dish, or visible role models. Keep it simple — challenge yourself to give everyone a job description in one sentence. Only add the responsibilities and KPIs they directly impact. And keep it clear — people can't do a good job if they don't know what that looks like.
5. Share positive feedback freely and generously. This tells people their work is valued, reinforces behaviour you want to see and supports development. People rarely appreciate their own strengths; knowing helps them perform better and develop more confidently. Pause to celebrate and share what you've achieved as a business, too, and to thank people. Feeling proud of where you work shows in all the work you do. Communication is the most overlooked engagement tool.
6. Tell people if they're not doing a good job. Make it about the behaviour, not the person. Check they're clear on what good looks like, and give them a chance to share their side and to improve. Don't put it off; leaving it too long makes the message harder, the impact on the team bigger, and the risk of a claim greater. Being a great place to work involves everyone being great at their job, and people can’t improve if they don’t know they need to.
7. Empower people to tackle drains on their time and energy. Encourage everyone to spot what’s not working and fix it. Build it into your culture by adding it to review forms; ask "What would make the business better, or your job more enjoyable?" and "What help do you need to make that happen?". This creates autonomy and engagement for individuals, a more efficient team for managers, and an army of micro-innovators constantly improving the business. Research also shows it protects against burnout.
8. Train people to do their job confidently and to keep developing. Nobody wants to feel caught out, whether it's by a customer asking about a new dish or a team member asking about a new system. Give people the information they need to do a good job, and give them opportunities to learn beyond it — humans are hardwired to grow, so we need healthy stretch to stay engaged. I like everyone to have a training menu: starters, mains and desserts for their role, with a tasting menu of wider learning everyone can dip into. It signals to people, from day one, that this is somewhere to stay and grow a career. 
9. Be kind. People need to feel cared for to really thrive. Have your team’s back. Make sure everyone feels safe at work and on the way home. No-one should ever have to put up with harassment as part of their job. Help people navigate life’s ups and downs; the simplest way to do this is through an Employee Assistance Programme. Hospitality Action is built specifically for our industry and provides confidential, expert support that’s available when people need it — whether someone is struggling with their mental health, finances or relationships, or needs other advice. People give so much to their jobs; they deserve support in return. 
10. People work for people. Management culture is culture, and 70% of how people feel at work is down to their manager. Everything on this list requires managers who get to know people, develop, support and motivate them as individuals, and can manage team dynamics. This isn’t easy! We don't leave school knowing how to give feedback, handle a difficult conversation, manage our emotions or really listen. If you only do one thing, invest in managers’ people skills, giving them time and space to develop them. Culture is defined by the quality of conversations and relationships. It’s created through connection.  

Learn more about Ceri’s work on her website. 

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Photos courtesy of Ceri Gott and Hawksmoor.