We spent years trying to build an award winning culture. Then one word changed everything.

At Mobile Outfitters, winning a Best Places to Work award was a long term goal. Everyone in the company knew it.

We asked our employees: “How can we make this an award winning culture?”

They told us: More benefits.
More time off.
More flexibility to work from home.
More events.
More pay.

We wanted them to help us build a better company.

Instead, they kept telling us what we should do for them.

Honestly, our first conclusion was that we had a team problem.
Why weren’t they taking ownership?

But we were wrong. They were answering the question exactly as we had framed it.

We had made culture sound like something the leadership team was responsible for creating and delivering.

After meeting with our coach, we changed one word:
“How can YOU help make this an award winning culture?”

Almost immediately, the responses changed.

Employees brought forward ideas. They started initiatives. They took responsibility for making the company better.

That same year, Mobile Outfitters won a Best Places to Work award.

I learned something important from that experience:

Before blaming your team for not taking ownership, look carefully at how you're handing off to them.

You may have accidentally assigned all the ownership to yourself.

Culture isn’t something leaders build for their employees.

It’s something everyone builds together.