Business culture is a living, breathing thing that must be cultivated every day. For Shannon Inukai Cuffee, president of Dick's Auto Group and a second-generation business owner, navigating the current pandemic would have been significantly more difficult if her business hadn't taken the time last year to focus on a culture journey with their employees.

Shannon joins podcast host Jared Siegel to share insights and resources that contributed to her growth as a business leader and owner on this week's episode of Success That Lasts.

Tune in here, at delapcpa.com/podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts:

Here are a few highlights from their conversation:

• People often say accounting is the language of business; Shannon Inukai Cuffee says that her start in the accounting office taught her the transactional side of the business.
• Honesty and integrity were core values instilled into Shannon and her brother Scott by their father. His mantra was: never lie, steal or cheat.
• Culture is a living, breathing thing that must be cultivated every day. It’s like hygiene; you have to do it daily in order to stay healthy.
• Two fundamentals of Shannon and Scott’s partnership in running the family business are trust and respect. Shannon says they work well together because they are different and possess complementary skills that help them navigate the business.
• Shannon says her consumption of books enabled her to grow as a leader.
• Whatever you allow is what your culture becomes.
• According to Shannon, navigating through the current pandemic as a business would have been significantly more difficult if they hadn’t taken the time last year to focus on a culture journey with their employees.
• Jared emphasizes the importance of communication during the crisis: it eliminates the opportunity for misinterpretation.
• Generous people are joyful because the psychological benefits of giving include joy, a sense of significance, and a sense of impact.
• Dick’s Auto Group’s priorities for the next 6 months are ensuring employee safety, and profitability.