I recently proposed to implement EOS for a large business in a big city. As sometimes happens, the potential client was interviewing another EOS Implementer, as well, and each of us was aware that this company was talking to the other.
In fact, before either of us actually met with the company, we each let the other know when we had spoken to this prospect. We talked together about what he is looking for in an Implementer and how we might be able to help him. We even agreed that we should go after clients together more often because it’s fun!
The camaraderie and spirit of cooperation that exists among EOS Implementers showed in our talks with our potential client, and I could tell he found it a little puzzling. After a few interactions, I received an email from him saying, “I’m curious. It doesn’t appear that the implementers care which one we use. How was that culture developed?”
The Key to Developing the Company Culture You Long For
A great company culture is one of the things entrepreneurs wish for most, yet it is often one of the most difficult to achieve because we just don’t know where to start. It’s easy to be specific about the kind of atmosphere you want to create in your company, but it’s harder to figure out how to build it, so I’m going to give you the key: core values.
Core values are the foundation upon which an organization’s culture is built because, when used correctly, they attract the right people to your company and repel the wrong ones.
Your Company Already Has Its Core Values
Just as every person has core values, every company has core values. You may have no idea what they are, but you still have them. You may know what they are, but be unable to explain them effectively. You can even have the wrong core values: those that don’t produce much of a result because you have either identified or articulated them incorrectly.
Using Core Values to Build Your Culture
To make core values work, you have to know what they are, preach about them constantly, and use them to hire, fire, and reward your employees.
For example, the reason my fellow Implementer and I don’t care which one of us is hired is because we possess the core values of the EOS organization:
1. Be humbly confident.
2. Grow or die!
3. Help first.
4. Do the right thing.
5. Do what you say.
In this case, the dynamic our potential client observed is because of core values #3 and #4.
“Help first” means three things:
- We are committed to providing value before receiving anything.
- We get what we want out of life by helping other people get what they want.
- We genuinely get a high from helping people.
We can’t help at all if we don’t “Do the right thing,” which means:
- We always behave as though our mother were watching.
- We believe no amount of money is worth betraying a trust.
- We want to help people do what is best for them, regardless of what’s in it for us.
These core values attract the right kind of people to our organization. They create an environment suffused with a sense of abundance and devoid of any sense of scarcity. Oh, we’re still competitive and we all want to win; we just define winning differently. We win when the client gets what’s best for him – even if it’s not EOS – whether it benefits us personally or not.
Being part of such a phenomenal culture is an exciting privilege, and it shows to our clients. When you have correctly identified your core values and have built a workforce that lives them out, your clients and prospects will see it and love it. People enjoy working with companies who know who they are and what they are about.
Next Steps
- Check the strength of your company with the EOS Organizational Checkup.
- Request a free 90-Minute Meeting with an EOS Implementer to get a clear picture of what it looks like to run your company on EOS.
This article originally appeared on the DeWitt, LLC blog on September 26, 2016.
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