What They See IS What They Get

So who ultimately cares about the core values we model personally or in our organizations? Everyone does! The reputation of our company is indeed built on the values we exemplify day in and day out. For far too many individuals and businesses, the answer to that third question Jeff Henderson challenged us with is an unfortunate NO… Companies nearly always (around 80% of the time based at the stats I just referenced again) say what they want to be known for by posting their values with wonderfully crafted definitions on their websites for the world to see, then the executives pontificate about those values to anyone pointing a camera or microphone in their direction - whether than same message ever gets to the rest of their teams or not…

How often have you heard someone say, “What you see if what you get!”, detailing their aim to be genuine in all that they do? Hearing that statement isn’t uncommon. The validity of it, though, depends on the source. Just like posting meticulous core values on a website or spouting them off in an interview, talking is the easy part. We can definitely detail what we want to be known for but what we’re actually known for - internally with our team members, externally with our clients, and even more broadly through the reputation we build over time - ties right back to “What you see is what you get!”

If what we want to be known for isn’t lining up with what we are known for, it’s critical that we take a hard look at any possible reason we can find for why. Maybe we haven’t been as clear as we had hoped in messaging what our values really mean, or am I the only one that’s ever thought I explained something in detail only to find out later that I completely missed the mark? I know it’s hard to believe, but I’ve done it more than a few times - just ask Cindy! Or maybe, we shared the perfect message once, saw our folks connect the dots as they heard it, then neglected to ever circle back to solidify just how important those values are every single day? Had Truett Cathy said “My Pleasure” just one time, rather than for ten full years, we may have never even learned about the amazingness of God’s chicken sandwich… But maybe, just maybe, what we say in detailing those values and what people see in our actions aren’t lining up.

Whether it’s from a misunderstanding, a difference in perception, a lack of consistency in sharing the message, or we’ve completely dropped the ball in living out the values we want to be known for, what people see is far more important than anything we ever say. We can count on the people closest to us to duplicate the example we provide. What our teams do routinely will have an immediate impact on the clients we serve and the community we operate in. And eventually, even if we’re blessed with a longstanding history where the milkshake machines were once dependable, what people see will overtake what we say and anything we’ve said or done leading up to that point. That will become our reputation - and that reputation will affect our results, so we’ll pick up there soon.