When you launch a business, start working on company culture immediately, Butch Fiore advises. The president of Fiore & Sons, Inc. civil construction firm said they waited too long to focus on culture, and it created problems.
“If you are a new company or even a well-established company and haven’t begun to focus on your people and the culture within your organization, now is the time to start,” Fiore said. “Start building your culture early. Focus on what makes your company and your team great and what would raise you to the top of your industry. We waited until we were beyond 250 people to focus on culture, and the challenges were immense. It is very difficult to encourage people to change behaviors and mindsets when they have been accustomed to certain habits for many years.
“Don’t let bad habits set in and define your expectations early. Establish a set of core values that you can live by and hold each other to them so clients and staff have a justifiable reason to trust you and your team. In simple terms, ‘Do what you say you’re going to do, by when you say you’re going to do it.’”
Fiore & Sons, Inc. got its start nearly 70 years ago, beginning with Fiore’s grandparents in the 1950s. Fiore’s parents bought the company from his grandparents in 1982, when the business was nearly bankrupt.
By the year 2000, the family had turned the company into an organization with more than 100 employees. “Mom was managing the finances and dad was managing the equipment while the brothers managed the rest of the work,” Fiore said. “Today, 22 years later, three of the four brothers have maintained ownership, including myself, and we have grown to nearly 400 employees.
“Over the past 10 years, we have worked diligently to create a true ‘culture’ in the organization. I have been the champion of this culture with the support of many great managers and leaders,” he said. “We have built a culture of safety, quality and excellence that creates what we see as a culture of ‘family.’ No matter who takes the company over, it will be my wish that they carry on the legacy of ‘Family’ that we created and cherish to this day. For my personal legacy, I want to be remembered for helping people achieve their dreams, whether personal or professional.”
Under Fiore’s guidance, the company launched a leadership development program focused on communication and building trusting relationships throughout the organization. All executives, leaders and managers are required to go through the program.
“We call it the Leadership Journey because there is no end destination, and learning to be a great leader is never-ending,” Fiore said. “What our people have learned is that when we communicate better, we improve our relationships and build trust with each other.”