As Australia's leading trainer and coaching provider for business owners, we know that one of the key indicators to the long-term success of any business is the quality of the team behind the entrepreneur.
Without a team who are not only skilled and experienced but also a strong cultural-fit, passionate about the same Vision, Mission and Values as the business and Founder(s), the business will not be able to achieve maximum growth over the years.
By enabling your team's growth and supporting them in building an ecosystem around them, you'll be able to envision and action actually stepping up and out of the business (or at least stop being the person who does everything).
It was by doing this and investing so heavily into the People & Culture side of the business, our fearless Founder, Jack Delosa (investor, entrepreneur, best-selling author, and 5x AFR Young Rich Lister) has empowered the team at The Entourage to ascend to new heights over the past 12 years.
We've since been able to grow a community of 550,000+ business owners across Sydney, Melbourne, the rest of Australia, and the world. Our team of business coaches have helped transform over 3,500 businesses in over 150 industries, and we've generated more than $2 billion for our Members. This could not have been done without the impactful leadership that spans across all levels of our business.
In recognition of this, we're proud to announce that the Australian Financial Review (AFR) has listed The Entourage as one of Australia and New Zealand's Best Places to Work, ranking #9 in the Professional Services category, from over 750 nominated organisations.
The AFR BOSS Best Place to Work list is a science-based process led by behavioural science consultancy, Inventium, that recognises Australian and New Zealand businesses across ten industries who are pioneering new ways of working and pushing the boundaries when it comes to workplace policies and practices.
The assessment was made up of a staff survey and a written submission surrounding the topics of policies, practices and programs within our organisation that support and get the best out of our team at The Entourage. This rigorous assessment process is underpinned by Inventium's Workplaces of the Future framework, which identifies key factors that are critical to employees feeling motivated and engaged at work.
"Inventium is proud to announce the 2022 AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list in conjunction with the Australian Financial Review. We have undertaken extensive research into what truly makes a brilliant workplace and we are thrilled to recognise many organisations who are leading the way with innovative practices that drive key elements such as flexibility, wellbeing and equality."
— Dr Amantha Imber, Founder of Inventium
This milestone achievement is a testament to our practices around the initiative of decentralising team culture.
Prompted by COVID-19 lockdowns, working remotely revealed a missing part in our weekly rituals — the ease of contribution from each team member. Our leaders wanted a way to encourage everyone to get engaged and take ownership of the culture, no matter where we were.
This led to the decentralisation of our core cultural rituals, allowing anyone in the business to get a chance to run them, make it their own, and have a special part to play in driving our high-performance culture forward.
Since decentralising our rituals and empowering the whole team to take ownership, we've seen a steady increase in our employee engagement scores (gathered from regular culture pulse surveys). Notably, compared to the first lockdown in March 2020, where we achieved a score of 85.7%, this steadily improved to 88.4% in December 2020, and then 90.7% in July 2021.
Qualitative feedback from the team has further demonstrated the positive impact the initiative has had on the culture and their own development at work - with many noting the renewed sense of team camaraderie despite ongoing lockdowns, that the team has never felt more aligned and connected regardless of being dispersed, and they feel empowered in their roles to grow and truly shape the culture to be what they want it to be.
By consistently putting in practice initiatives such as this, The Entourage team has been able to maximise the impact they have on the small business community across Australia, New Zealand and the world, especially during in the past two years where business owners have needed more help than ever.
Focusing on People & Culture first and letting your Vision, Mission and Values not just hang on the walls but drive the business forward from every level of team member is what will allow any business owner to create the business of their dreams and impact their community positively at the maximum level.
Want to replicate the success we've found at The Entourage? Then learn how to develop a philosophy that will underpin everything that everyone in your business does, and how they do it.
Our free Vision, Mission, Values Template will help you uncover the unique DNA of your business. Your business will be empowered with a set of guiding principles that drive everything in your business, from the culture within your team, to decision-making and the customer service you deliver. Download your free copy of the Vision, Mission, Values Template today.
