Topic: Building a Successful Culture to enable Strategy Execution

John Rose, CEO, Nuheat Industries Limited

How would you describe the Nuheat culture?

Positive, high energy, fun, young and nurturing. That said, culture is hard to put into words as it is the unwritten rules, customs and values of a company – what’s acceptable and what’s not. It is the vibe you get when you walk around the company and see people, their expressions, their interactions and their passions.  

What have you done as the CEO to build the culture?

My hope is to encourage creative thinking in an open, caring environment and I actively get to know each of the staff as individuals.

Daily staff meetings allow everyone to connect and let me gauge the temperature of the staff on a regular basis.

Each Friday, staff from all over North America tune in via Go To Meetings. I lead these meetings with a self-deprecating style that allows me to have fun and tease the staff in a good-natured way. We also cover off key business metrics that keep everyone informed and we use it as a platform to recognize good news and great experiences both internally and externally.

We offer interesting perks like education and hobby allowances. The education allowance is not restricted and can be used for anything that supports professional growth of the individual, such as public speaking, a time management course or finishing off a professional designation.

Hobby allowances support the individual’s interests and have included a Grouse Grind hiking pass as well as cooking, Spanish, golf and ukulele lessons. When an employee feels fully supported, I believe they work harder and give back to the company with a greater attitude and caring that shows up with them every day.

For new employees I meet with them for an onboard culture session followed by a get-to-know-you lunch. This gives a clear signal as to what they can expect from the company and what we hope to get from them in return.

For six years now, we celebrate the memory of one of our founding inspirational distributors. The Marilyn Thurau award is given out to the employee that best exemplifies Marilyn’s character traits of integrity, generosity of self and giving back to the community. This past year we had 35 employees nominate other employees.

We have supported employee-driven initiatives such as the sponsoring of a sensory room for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, a well for the village of Singo Sudan and other commendable employee endeavours.

What are you planning to do going forward to continue to build your culture?

I will continue to recognize and foster cultural diversity and individual personal growth. We celebrate diversity by hanging the flag of the country of origin of every staff member. We currently have 24 flags hanging from the rafters in our warehouse like pennants in sports arenas. We look forward to raising more flags as our team continues to grow and diversify.

Do you have a favourite book pick on this topic?

I don’t have a favourite book but have drawn great inspiration from many great books on culture like Zapp, First Break All the Rules, Who Moved My Cheese, Good to Great and most recently, Jim Murphy’s book Inner Excellence. I believe that the ideas you learn and adopt in your organization have to be genuine and consistent with who you are as a leader. A successful company’s culture has to be sincere, open, nurturing and exciting.