May 12, 2008 

I want to talk about corporate character and philosophy.
Recently I've partnered up with a great facility management company called A.Anthony Corporation out of the States and throughout  my interview with Tony, the owner, his primary concern was our relationship as people first - that we had synergy on a personal level and shared the same philosophy. His concerns were so sincere it made me reflect on my corporate culture and what my business philosophy really is. So I thought that I would take a moment and share with you parts of the conversation that took place between Tony and I.

A corporate philosophy cannot be purchased, it's in-grained  into a corporation from conception, and like a nice piece of oak it lasts a long time and becomes smoother with age. Sometimes you have to do some maintenance, but its still has it original grain. This philosophy is an awareness and a commitment. You can't  train your team to have it, they either get it or they don't.

Mary Kay Ash from Mary Kay Cosmetics says, "hire kind, caring people and you can teach them anything....." It was a company, as Mary Kay Ash often said, “with heart.” Caring and sincerity is part of your soul as a person, and companies that have success have a team of people that are sincere, passionate and care, not just at work but in their daily lives. If you have passion, sincerity and genuinely care, a natural evolution in your corporation begins to happen and customers will feel it. That evolution is called quality, not just in the end product but in the planning.

Every customer needs to feel trust and integrity in regards to their vendor and that trust is earned by using intelligence prior to sending trades or product to any site. "Intelligence before Execution"
Our customers need to know that their interests come first. We as vendors have to ensure they receive a ROI ..... A profit!!!! (increased value in their asset)  Before we start any project we must understand the objective:
*Is it a life safety issue?
*Is it to increase the value of the asset?
*Is it to improve the working environment, thus increasing productivity?
*Is there a lease renewal involved?
It seems simple enough, but most vendors look at their return before their customers'.  But honestly, if we help our customer make money, then we will ultimately reap the benefits.

Paper gets in the way of a good deal.
I've have never paid too much and been happy and I've never chosen to take the cheapest price and been satisfied....It seems you can lose either way. So with my vendors I work on relationships first. I look for kind people, and, as far as performance goes, it’s the caring, passionate sincere people who always show up when you need them. Vendors that you can negotiate with....
And when things go wrong, and something can always go wrong, it’s the company with thoughtful and genuine people that always give the best effort.

At the beginning or planning stage of any project, the first question I ask is why?
Why are we going to do this??
What I'm really looking for is...??
What value is this going to bring to your firm??
Because if I can't find real value then what’s the point in doing the job? Sometimes we do a project because ‘it’s in the budget' or ‘it’s politics’ or ‘the boss wants  it'. But at the end of the day, the boss, politics and budget aside - what value are we bringing to the asset or to the people who function in the facility? That is the real question.

What is the glue that brings sincerity, caring, passionate intelligent people and customers together?
"Trust"

Trust.
Trust is hard to quantify - it's attitude, family, moral and ethical fabric, it's forgiveness, effort, kindness, compassion, honesty, compromise, and this has to be authentic......It's a gut instinct to feel trust for someone.

So, long and short, here is my business philosophy:
Put your best foot forward, surround your self with caring, kind, ethically sound, moral people, find people that are passionate and sincere. Exercise forgiveness and compromise, never give up on doing what's right, have faith, be open and keep learning (we can all learn something from one another). Practice personal and professional courage!
Quality comes from caring.
Profitability comes with quality.
Quality comes with intelligence.
Intelligence has to come before execution.
Thus we have made it full circle.....
And remember if you don't trust your supplier or vendor completely, then don't use them, don't even ask them to give you a quote. It's not fair to you and it's a waste of everyone's time.

So that's it for now, but before I go, if you want to make comments, please do so and I will publish your comments.... Send all your stuff to timsblog@stadia.ca

Speak to you soon!

Tim