Nov 6, 2018
What’s different about a business when it’s grounded in purpose? Everything. Your business’s culture is your only real competitive advantage: people can attempt to copy your products and positioning, but no one can copy your culture. When companies don’t design their culture in a specific way, they allow it to be 'by default.' But purpose-powered businesses have a unique culture, because they recognize the power and privilege of designing one that is an expression of their purpose to the world. In this episode, we discuss culture; specifically values as the bedrock of culture.
The wrong approach
Many companies create a list of words and hang them on the wall. That doesn’t tap into the real value of values. This doesn’t work because:
Values personified
Kevin shares a few stories about his stay at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver and their exceptional customer service — unlike many other hotels he has visited in the past. He recounts the story of the room switch, the story of the green button, the unexpected cappuccino machine, and meeting with the lodge’s VP of Revenue Development.
Why was the Heathman Lodge so different?
How do you bring values to life in your organization?
Personalize the values into expressions of who you are and what’s different in your organization or business. And then:
Unless and until values translate into behaviors and beliefs, the benefit of values will either be marginalized or minimized.
Meet Hagen
Hagen Kern is the owner of Junk King Chicago Downtown, a full-service junk removal business in their early stages of formalizing their company’s values.
Purpose according to Hagen is having clear, defined objectives on what they want to achieve with the business.
Why have a purpose statement?
The purpose statement in action
Hagen’s company’s purpose statement has a list of 7 values they live by.
What do they do with this list?
Hagen wants to inspire and encourage others to incorporate purpose and values into their work. If you can make what you want to achieve relatable, then you’ll keep your employees motivated, and they, in turn, will do their day-to-day work in a superior and excellent manner.
Parting words and next steps
It’s not too early or too late to bring purpose into fruition through your work. If this resonated with you and you want to take the next step, check out Kevin’s free resource: go to 28daysprint.com and download the free Value of Values worksheet.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Kevin Monroe’s LinkedIn profile
The Construction Leading Edge
Podcast by Todd Dewalt
Download the Value of Values
checklist
Hagen Kern