Our company values are a reflection of my own, this article explains why I believe that’s important and why it ultimately leads to being happier.
I have owned a business for around 13 years now but I would say I haven’t run one until 20 months ago. In November 2018 when my business partner of over 11 years left the agency to follow a change of direction, I realised that for much of that time I had owned an agency that I hadn’t always enjoyed working at.
When my partner left I did some soul searching around why I even do this, what I want from my business and what values I would like my business to reflect. With one person in charge this exercise is difficult but manageable. During the time as a partnership, this exercise had always been contentious and ultimately surfaced areas of misalignment that inevitably caused friction.
You would have to ask my team but to me, it feels like it’s easier for them to follow one point of direction, one vision and one set of values.
It’s still quite early days for this ‘new’ version of the ‘old’ agency but my instinct is that we are on the right track. Our values set is established, it’s now embedded in our recruitment process, partner relationships and will start to be introduced to our review cycle.
So here are our values:
Take Pride
Care about what you do, who you are and your impact in the world.
What’s the point if we don’t care? Doing what we do should be fun and it should also impact things larger than ourselves. As an agency and as individuals it’s important that we always present the best work and the best parts of ourselves possible.
Create a place to belong
Build a positive team spirit, creating a place for people to be their best.
I spent 10 years of my life running my local Women’s rugby side and what we built there was very special. A place where everybody felt comfortable, worthwhile and valued. This is what I want Make it Clear, building a family not a business.
Be approachable
Create a genuinely collaborative environment.
People still like working with people, even if that is over a video call at the moment. The relationships we create with our clients are crucial to the success of our organisation.
Show up
Strive to be your best – prepare, learn, ask questions and improve.
The culture we are looking to build encourages an environment of constant self improvement. We always take the time to properly listen and be ‘present’ in all our interactions.
I hope this is helpful, feedback is always appreciated. Drop me a line if you would like to be a part of something like the above and all the best in these challenging times.
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