As we’ve navigated these challenging times, I’ve become very passionate about Source Support’s Core Values. Our team has leveraged them as they began working remotely, in solving new challenges that arose from COVID-19 and determining the best course of action for our customers. I’m very proud of our team and impressed with the results they have produced during this time.
Before the pandemic hit, I’m not sure I was as passionate as I should have been about also reinforcing our Vision and Mission with our team. As I’ve reflected on this, I’ve realized that we need all three legs in our stool, working together and complementing each other, to ensure we have a powerful platform for our culture.
Corporate cultures often begin and end with organizational mission statements. Recently Jeff Nesler, our SVP of services, shared his perspective on Source’s Mission with his team, and it reminded me that we need to be vigilant in our communication around all three of those key drivers of our culture. We regularly engage in leadership discussions about our culture, how we live our mission and how those efforts influence the quality of our customer service. However, it takes everyone in an organization to be focused on these things for them to truly be successful, and we’ve seen over time that the quality of services that companies provide – and by extension the reputations and brands they build – are directly related to how companies live out and act on these key assets. Service organizations that take good care of their customers regularly refer to those statements and core values expressed in them to guide decisions, behaviors and policies.
For example, we at Source are adamant that adopting and living our Mission Statement is essential to our customers’ success, and our own in turn. It reads: “Committed to being an integral part of the customer’s technical product services team delivering innovative & quality-driven solutions that advance the overall customer experience.”
We’re proud of our world-class service team, the tremendous value we’ve delivered over the last two decades and the strength of the relationships we have with our customers and partners. Yet still, regularly, we break down our Mission Statement to check and make sure we’re living up to our expectations for ourselves. We consider items and ask questions like:
- Being an “integral part of the customer’s technical product services team” means we should espouse and abide by their values as much as ours, and enable them to strive for and achieve their goals. So do we?
- “Delivering innovation” means truly understanding the experiences that our customers want to provide their end users and suggesting creative ways to meet their goals. Are we?
- We constantly strive to deliver “quality-driven solutions that advance the overall customer experience.” So do our actions and results match our desires?
- The definition of “committed,” per the dictionary, is “wholeheartedly dedicated.” Are we constantly exhibiting that level of effort as we engage with customers, innovate and deliver quality?
- The word “customers” is purposefully included twice in our single-sentence mission statement, because we believe everything we do is for our customers and end users. It’s not about us. So, in all we do, are we focused on their success and enabling fantastic experiences for them?
In addition, every single member of our team participated in the process of establishing our Core Values. On a regular basis, we reflect on them; we fill one of the largest walls in our building with post-it notes containing everyone’s perspectives on what our culture and values mean to them and how we can act on it each day. Then, monthly and quarterly, we hold department and company-wide meetings to celebrate our successes and rededicate ourselves to our Core Values and Mission Statement. We give awards, tell stories and celebrate customers’ achievements right along with our own. We’ve found this works for us, and that doing all of this helps produce the culture we feel is best to serve you well.
We recognize that there’s not one “right way” to do this; every organization has its own path. We’d love to hear your thoughts. What words and phrases do you put extra weight and value on? How do you integrate your values, vision and mission statement into your everyday services? How do you encourage and nurture your colleagues, and hold them accountable, in adhering to these key culture drivers?
We look forward to hearing your stories and feedback about culture, because an open dialogue will help us forge a strong relationship with you and align our shared service quality goals to ensure satisfied end-users. Don’t hesitate to reach out anytime with your thoughts, and be sure to keep following this blog for more examples of our culture in action.
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