Monday, June 27th, 2022

More Than Writing On The Wall: Winning With Values That Drive Action

By Johnny Dragicevic

Today, core values like transparency, integrity, and respect have sort of become like buzz words; they sound great to hear, but do they go beyond that?

Values aren’t just an ideal, they’re the cornerstone of any business. They’re an essential part of telling employees and customers who you are and what they’ll receive in return for choosing you as their partner or workplace of choice.

When my brother Marko and I started CanLift Equipment, we had one very important thing on our minds: to create a company culture that would reflect one that cares about the well-being of employees and where employees know that they are valued.

Fast forward 13 years later, with over 35 employees, we have stuck to just that. Even as the company has grown, our team has maintained its ‘ma and pa shop’ feel, never losing sight of the importance of personal relationships, where everyone is welcomed and treated like family.

In this post, I’ll share our leadership team’s approach to creating a company culture that customers recognize and employees embody.

Happiness benefits the bottom line

Time and time again, studies have shown that happy employees outperform unhappy ones. You can’t beat having employees who are pleasant and friendly to each other and are both good at and love what they are doing. A 2013 Gallup report entitled The State of the American Workplace found that more engaged employees led to improved customer relationships, with a 20 per cent increase in sales! Having happy and fulfilled employees equates to thriving teams and positive results for business and customers.

Leaders create culture through behaviours

Down-to-earth leaders and direct access to management have a great deal of impact. Managers take on the role of a coach, more than anything. Avoiding micromanaging in favour of trusting employees to do their best. Putting trust in your employees goes a long way, because trust leads to independent employees, whose own growth leads to company growth.

For me personally, I see company culture as everyone’s responsibility but understand it always starts with leaders. Running a successful business can’t be left to luck or the chance that things will fall into place. There has to be a conscious effort and commitment to investing in your teams and their wellbeing to ensure high-quality consistent service for customers and ongoing business growth.

My partner, Marko, added “I always go back to our mission statement as a reminder of who we want to be as a trusted source for equipment, but also to guide us forward in the decisions we make and goals we set towards a sustainable future. Our teams know exactly what CanLift stands for. This certainty is backed by a passionate and knowledgeable group of people who have been supporting customers and CanLift’s success over the last decade.

Desirable perks

Perks cannot, I repeat, cannot replace company culture or be a substitute. Tying into the above point, leaders can’t sit back and offer a list of benefits and hope to keep employees engaged.

Remember, your teams are the ones out in the field. They are the face of your company. A team that feels appreciated will drive motivation and in return drive results.

At Canlift, we’ve understood over the years that robust benefits and perks are an extension of our cultural values. They are part of the foundation which we build on to thrive. Some benefits we offer include 100 per cent coverage of health insurance premiums, group RRSP, flexible vacations, attractive office space, slushie machine, stocked fridges, monthly celebrations, and all kinds of fun company swag (shirts, hats, toques, socks, and sweaters).

We also see employee mental health and well-being as priorities, both while working and while away from work. We are committed to increasing overall employee health and wellness and providing employees with a positive work–life balance. Through CanLift’s “Disconnecting from Work” policy, we’re able to promote that ideal by specifically detailing the company’s expectations related to disconnecting from work.

Work is such a large part of a person’s life, and the benefits and support platforms that go with that work can make all the difference.

Want to learn more?

To learn more about how leading through action is quickly making CanLift the go-to partner and employer of choice in the Ontario equipment rental space, get in touch!

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