Accounting and Consulting
All in the family
How to establish an open culture
By Meredyth McKenzie
Smart Business South Florida | April 2009
Page 1 of 2
Jim Kaufman, co-founder and managing principal
Kaufman, Rossin Cos.
Jim Kaufman likes to have fun at work. So he’s established a culture at Kaufman, Rossin Cos. where his 265 employees work hard but also have fun and enjoy what they’re doing. And they know that management enjoys the work, as well.
Establishing a culture like this requires you to set the tone at the top for employees to follow and to be consistent in your values.
“Tone at the top is all about walking the walk,” says the accounting firm’s co-founder and managing principal. “Employees see me and other members of management demonstrating honesty, integrity and social responsibility. That model behavior rubs off.”
Establishing a culture, living it and then reinforcing it for employees has helped Kaufman grow the firm that he co-founded in 1962 with Jay Rossin to 2007 revenue of $49 million.
Smart Business spoke with Kaufman about how to develop and model a culture that promotes fun and recognize and reward employees who live the culture.
Establish a strong culture. It’s leading by example. It’s rewarding those who embrace the culture, provide and perpetuate it, and ultimately, counseling and coaching those who do not. Setting the tone at the top, articulating the culture and then repeating and reinforcing that culture is how we try to ensure that it’s propagated and it prospers.
Accessibility is one of the keys to leading by example. It’s important that employees at all levels have access to management, feel comfortable talking to us and have opportunities to see the values in action. Coming to work is a good way to do that, if you do it long enough.
We have an active social program, and we promote activities that we find are extremely bonding. What we discourage is a mentality of just a job to go through the motions and earn a paycheck.
Leaders need to recognize what ‘joy at work’ means to different people. The diversity in today’s workplace, including generational diversity, means it’s essential to hear input from a variety of employees about the activities, which make the atmosphere fun.
A strong culture evolves as a company grows. Establishing core values and making sure to lead by example is essential. Developing young leaders through training and mentoring is how a culture survives and thrives.
[The benefit is the] stability of employees. It’s the profitability of the business, and it certainly makes it a lot more fun for me to come to work.
Be consistent and treat people fairly. Consistency in your beliefs and actions is an essential element of leadership. We call that integrity. You do what you say you’re going to do.
Our culture starts with integrity, which we define as a consistency in words and action. That’s everything from being consistent with your vision and message, being on time, and when you say you’re going to do something, you do it. Those are small things every day that, which observed, give credibility to leadership or impair its effectiveness.
If you always try to tell the truth and do what you say, it gets to be habit after awhile. I know people have a great deal of trouble in trying to stay consistent in doing what they think and act. One of these management consultants used to say, ‘Habits feel good.’ Getting in good habits is the best way to maintain consistency.
We believe in fairness. Treating people fairly means treating people differently, because fairness is recognizing each individual as an individual and considering their needs and personal issues, and trying to resolve the questions that come up in business.
