High Performing Culture - Part One
Quick Catch Up
If you didn’t read the part zero in this series, “High Performing Culture – Part Zero“, please give it a quick glance. That article sets the stage… but very quickly, this series is about sharing Endertech’s “Fundamental Behaviors”. These are the behaviors we encourage within our team that we believe lead to our high performing culture.
Fundamental #1: Love Thy Neighbor
Our corporate document “Endertech’s Fundamental Behaviors” (circa 2016) states it this way:
Love Thy Neighbor: “Act from a foundation of love and respect for humanity. Be kind and patient in all communications. Intend happiness for our clients and colleagues.”
Our Employee Handbook (circa 2011) says it like this:
Love & Respect: “We love and respect ourselves, our neighbors, and our environment because this is the foundation of all good things in life.”
It may feel somewhat shocking to witness a corporation writing about love! Honestly, I feel somewhat uncomfortable promoting it on our website the way I do… as I suspect there are some business folk out there who would think that love and business ought not to sit at the same table.
Well… ultimately, of course, I decided in favor of making this bold statement and staying true to what I believe should be the foundation of all humans’ lives… love!
What?! Why?! How?!
Really it’s simple… my theory is that applying the Golden Rule to the work environment will yield a positive and supportive environment where people can thrive and do their best work for the right reasons.
We all spend so much time at work… we ought to ensure that we’re enjoying that time, and enjoying that time has a lot to do with the people and the relationships we’re surrounded with. Therefore, ensuring those are healthy is critical to a high performing culture.
A focus on loving each other, which includes *tough love* helps make that real. We manifest this behavior by always treating each other respectfully. By talking openly about the importance of being sensitive to each other’s differences. By hiring people who naturally have this inclination to begin with.
What are the results so far?
Each of our team members has an assignment each Monday to write about one of our Fundamentals. To date we’ve had 54 entries to our company chat room plus lots of ensuing discussion. This is bringing our Fundamental Behaviors top of mind to all our employees each week.
Here is a recent entry from a team member:
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Love Thy Neighbor
I am sure we have all heard this phrase and to some degree. I feel like the meaning of it is relative, based on what context we use it. When we “love thy neighbor,” we put ourselves in an altruistic state of mind. What does this mean in business? It means actually caring about the clients’ needs and digging deep to figure out how you can solve their problems.
Now what if you can’t offer any solutions to a prospect because you don’t have the capabilities to achieve what they need? If you put yourself first, you may fabricate reasons to get that prospect as a client, and that will ultimately lead to mediocre results which can hurt your reputation. This is fine if you are not seeking to be a great company. If you are practicing “love thy neighbor” then you will have to be straight forward with the prospect, even if that means you won’t get a deal at the end of it all. I feel like “love thy neighbor” will put you in situations where you know you will help others without getting anything in return.
Outside of business and in a more general context, I quickly noticed that Endertech valued “love thy neighbor.” I remember my first meeting with Gabe in person where I told him I liked the vibe and friendliness of the office. He gave me a confused look and asked what I meant by that. I guess he is so used to it, but I been in other places I didn’t feel the same way. What I am trying to point out here is that Gabe has done an excellent job to create a company culture where one can feel comfortable even on their first day in the office. As soon as I walked inside the Endertech doors, I was approached by someone who was smiling (Noemi), and she offered me a wide selection of treats from candy bars to donuts. The energy in the office felt very welcoming. I am sure clients feel the same way because I see a lot of them walking in the conference rooms with a smile on their faces (this usually occurs after they are offered free coffee and snacks.) Anyways, It’s cool to see a company practice what it preaches. 🙂
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From my perspective as the business owner aiming to create a high performing culture, it is heart warming to see my staff responding like this!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Endertech for joining me on this journey to build a high performing web & software development company in Los Angeles. I love you.
Sincerely, Gabriel