Clarke & Humel Property Principal, Cherie Humel discusses why culture is essential, how to ensure a productive team environment and how to correct conflict.
Describe the culture in your business?
1. Success together
Together we can help each other shine and achieve our ambitions.
2. Relentless drive
We are determined to achieve the best for our clients and maintain high service standards.
We work hard, we know what our expectations/roles are, and when people around us are achieving success, it only encourages others to do the same.
3. Support and energy
We are fortunate to have an office with great experience across the board.
There is always someone to lend a hand or bounce ideas off.
We care about each other, we are understanding, and we love a challenge.
What impact does culture have on your business’s success?
If you want to run a successful business, having a great culture is essential.
We need to have good people around us to succeed.
I have a great team around me, and it’s my responsibility as an employer to create/hire good people so that my team enjoy coming to work every day.
We look to hire good people and help them become great. This can’t be done without a culture of excellence and support.
Excellence is important so that people can mould success, whilst we support and encourage them in a nurturing way.
The real estate industry is full of ups and downs, and I have complete faith that we can overcome any challenge as a team.
What do you do day-to-day to maintain a positive culture in your business?
I don’t feel that I need to maintain a culture if everyone has good people around them day-in, day-out.
I walk through the office every morning with a smile on my face to greet everyone before going into my office.
As a business, we also try to organise regular social events. It gives people something to look forward to, and it’s an excellent opportunity for everyone to catch up in a social environment.
We also encourage personal development within our team, and we do regular goal setting and performance reviews.
People’s careers are important to them, and I love that I can be on the journey with them, and they know that they have my full support.
When people are succeeding and kicking goals, they are happy, and in-turn, productive.
How do you approach teaching your business’s culture to newcomers?
Although we have a blueprint for all new employees that covers our values as a team, our expectations, and our roles throughout the office, a good culture is certainly not something that can be created overnight, nor can it be learnt from a brochure.
Our culture has been created and fostered over nine years through likeminded people.
We have been very specific about the people we have hired. Everyone needs to be on the same page, pulling in the right direction, and doing the right thing.
Explain a time internal culture felt ‘off track’ and how you corrected it?
We have had times where personalities have clashed, or there has been the odd disagreement. These things will always happen, and I have no doubt they will continue to occur on the very odd occasion.
When you have passionate people with strong views and drive, I don’t silence it; I encourage it.
In saying this, I think it’s important as an employer not to bury your head in the sand.
We need to resolve any conflicts early and get people to refocus their energy.
In most cases, this will limit the damage that any situation will have on the people around them, their ability to work collaboratively together, their productivity, and most importantly, their happiness.
