If your company culture is strong and vibrant, the possibility of operating success is maximized. But what predicts a strong, vibrant company culture? There are a number of leading indicators for a great company culture that portend operational success, but they all trace their roots back to individual mindsets. Here’s how mindset ultimately predicts operational success, and how coaching is one key to building the right mindset to move your organization forward and build momentum in the direction of success.

Mindset Predicts Behavior

What’s going on in your head often predicts what you do. Say you’re in a bad frame of mind and you’re working on some routine car maintenance. Maybe it causes you to carelessly throw your tools around rather than replacing them neatly in your tool kit. Or maybe it distracts you so that when you stand up you bump your head on the open hood of your car. Either way, it’s a less than optimal experience. Modifying that mindset, however, can make an immense difference, not only in the experience itself, but also in how it all eventually turns out.

Behavior Predicts Results

Of course, behavior predicts results. We generally know it when we bring our “A” game, get things done, and make a positive difference. Likewise, we have all had days when we weren’t even close to giving it our best, and maybe we made mistakes, forgot steps, and ended up having to do some things over. But when a positive, hopeful mindset predicts positive, hopeful behavior, that’s generally when we demonstrate our best efforts. Do this enough, and you build a reputation for being great at what you do, both personally and as an organization.

Results Predict Company Culture

Maybe you have worked at a company where nothing seemed to go right. People were unhappy, had bad attitudes, and made mistakes. Chances are the company culture was just as dismal. If your organization is not doing a good job of its core business practices, it’s difficult or even impossible to have a strong and vibrant culture. But when you land that great account, win that contract, or break sales records because people know what to do and want to do it to the best of their ability, developing a positive, dynamic company culture is almost inevitable.

Company Culture Predicts Operating Success

Have you ever looked at Fortune’s list of best companies to work for? Look at the ones you’re familiar with and you’ll see that they all show signs of a positive, spirited organizational culture, and it’s obvious that a great culture is something they prioritize and are willing to work toward. For example, analytics software company SAS, founded 40 years ago, has 37 landscapers as direct employees, not contractors, who enjoy the same employee benefits as everyone else. Their job is to make it a beautiful place to work. It’s a defining cultural characteristic that certainly hasn’t hurt the company’s success.

Sometimes You Have to Go Back to the Person in the Mirror

There are times when operational success doesn’t live up to expectations and you have to ask whether there are problems with the culture. You can trace the chain backwards: if there are cultural problems, is it traceable to people not getting good results? When people don’t get good results, is it because their work behaviors have changed? Why have their work behaviors changed? Are mindsets negative?

Coaching is one key to improving mindsets that drive behaviors that drive results that inform company culture. What are you doing as a coach to encourage positive mindsets in those you coach? If you want the kind of company culture that leads to operational success, your coaching techniques are a good place to start. Read my blog for practical steps you can take to encourage the kinds of mindsets that ultimately lead to a winning company culture and the operational success you’ve worked so hard for.

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