I ordered a sandwich quite late in the night. A few minutes after the delivery, I got a call from the delivery guy, apologizing for missing out on delivering the dip. Already on his way back, he requested me to hold on to that sandwich for some more time. Refuting my refusal, he returned. When I tried to comfort him, suggesting that it was okay for me to let go of the dip, he replied, “Your meal wouldn’t be complete without it, sir. We know this is your preferred dip and you order this every time.” With a smile, he handed over the side and went off.
The dedication to serving the customer even at late night had me thinking about how deeply involved and aligned every employee must be in the firm. Also, I wondered what its culture would be like?
That incident got me to pen this thought.
Core Values Defining Firm’s Culture
If you read between the lines, you might have identified that the delivery guy’s response was the one that made all the difference. His statement underscores that the entire outlet focuses on one value – customer satisfaction. In my opinion, this value is set deep within the organization and underpins the highest priorities of an organization.
When a firm defines its values, aka core values, it ensures that all employees, from top managers to trainees, share a common purpose and work together to achieve a common goal. If these values get deeply ingrained in every employee, then irrespective of their actions, they will result in a single outcome – delivering values to the customers – not just products.
Culture As the Differentiator
Core values play a critical role in building a culturally rich firm. These values translate to a set of purposes for an entire organization, bring the workforce together, and push every employee to put in their best effort. Research from Imperative revealed that 73% of purpose-oriented members are satisfied because they sense a connection with their peers even though they speak different languages, perform different functions, and are from different geographies. That “purpose-orientated” mindset serves as the foundation to set up a cohesive and inclusive culture for the company.
A culturally rich firm has multiple advantages. Among its internal members, it stands as the preferred place to work. The members not only boast their association with the firm but also try to onboard their known associates to work with them. Besides, the sense of pride drives performance and ensures loyalty. In the world outside, the brand becomes the talk of the town. Due to the less churn in members and high performance, the brand stands out as reliable, steady, and growth-focused. It attracts the attention of stakeholders who consider the brand a better investment opportunity.
Creating a Culture Based on Values
The advantages a company gains due to its positive culture don’t happen overnight. It matures over time – eventually, it helps the organization gain higher ground in the market.
Today, without skipping a beat, you can associate Netflix with “innovation” or Google with “democracy on the web.” But if you think about it, you would realize that the values were not woven into the culture of these brands yesterday. Since their inception, they believed in these values and trained their people in that idealogy. Who, in turn, translated that into their day-to-day work and established the values through their products or services.
When I started Ergode, it was a small team of visionaries who wanted to bring a change in the lives of the small retailers and make purchases convenient to anyone across the globe. That was our purpose.
We knew we were in for a challenge, particularly when we decided to keep our operation base in India.
As a team, we jotted down the factors that would help us achieve our purpose. We figured that if we had to help a cohort of global retailers to run their businesses with a group of e-commerce experts from different geography, we had to focus on a disciplined, structured, and process-driven execution approach.
It was practically an insane thought at the time when we started. We knew it would be a fun ride for the people who would get on the boat with us. At that time, we only had a page of a bullet list of what we believed.
Little did we know that after more than a decade, that one-page bullet list would grow into a blown-up set of core values capable of keeping our team members together, having fun in whatever they do, and staying true to the purpose of the company.
What’s Your Approach?
Entrepreneurs and brand owners like you and I have seen the ups and downs of our firms. But, I believe, we have never let go of our vision, our purpose, and the values that we used in creating a culture conducive to the growth and personal enrichment of our members.
Tell me, how have you utilized your firm’s core values to build a culturally rich organization?
Cloverbites By Rupesh Sanghavi 
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