At Sashco, our foundation, all we do and decide, every bit of our direction, is built around five foundational values: truth, trust, care, forgiveness, and respect. We’ve been operating by these core values for more than 85 years.
When we were developing our values, the subject of care came up. Do we care about each other? Who do we need to care about? As we looked back at our discussions, we realized that, in a way, we were debating over who we didn’t have to care about! That realization made our answer crystal clear: yes, we do need to care, and care must be all-inclusive.
Sure, that’s easy to say, but what does that look like on a practical level? Let’s be honest. No one always likes everyone they work with. Does that mean we can’t still care about them? Absolutely not. Does all-inclusive care mean there’s never conflict? Negative ghost-rider. Conflict is often a necessary part of progress. Without contrasting ideas, it’s almost impossible to truly drive innovation. Can you engage in caring conflict? You bet!
Living and working by values like care mean you assume, look for, and point out the best in your team. Care means working together for the company’s and the customer’s greater good, rather than stepping on heads to get ahead. Showing care demonstrates the values we hold. It tells the truth, it trusts and respects others and their ideas, and it’s quick to forgive.
To be a company driven by care, though, you must go beyond just the team’s inner workings. You must demonstrate and extend all-inclusive care to everyone with whom you interact. Our shipping team cares about the UPS and FedEx guys who pick up from us each day. Our customer service team cares about the stressed-out homeowner on the phone who desperately needs a little guidance. Our sales team cares equally about the buying manager and the sales floor clerk.
Kindness is a bit of a buzzword. It’s simple to talk about being kind. Care, though…care requires putting kindness into action, even when it’s not easy. And when care isn’t shown, it means making it right. The right thing is often the hard thing, but the worthy thing.
