Aristotle said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Your DNA is the heartbeat of your business. It is what keeps you alive and helps you differentiate your business from the competition - whether that is competing for talent or competing for new work.

Your DNA gives employees a shared sense of purpose and an understanding of how their behaviours need to align to the business. It enables more engagement and provides motivation and clarity. It enables employees to feel a part of something greater, creating employee satisfaction, loyalty and a commitment in people to do their best. Businesses with a strong DNA are able to inspire their employees; such employees are more productive and innovative as a consequence.

It also helps employees make decisions on a day to day basis as it provides guidance in making those decisions. This means that employees can feel confident they are making the right decisions, and gives leaders the confidence that they can trust and empower their employees to make big, impactful decisions.

Having the right DNA, that is fully embedded, is key to retain talent. Your employees will become your biggest advocates – their passion and enthusiasm for the business will become infectious and through that you will find ways to attract the top talent to your business. In the same way that great products sell themselves, great people with a passion for the business will attract potential employees.

It gives customers a sense of the business you are and how they can do business with you. It allows them to understand what you stand for and, more importantly, feel it through every interaction they have with you. It enables you to attract like-minded customers, who share your principles and beliefs which in turn is likely to lead to longer term and more fruitful relationships. In a services industry, people buy from people so ensuring that your people reflect who you are as a business is crucial.

Finally, having a defined DNA aids better communication both internally and externally – it allows consistency of message, clarity of purpose and values that resonate with the target audience. This creates authenticity and trust with your customers, potential customers as well as your employees.