Think outside the box or just change the box? Doug Burgoyne is the founder of FROGBOX, a “low environment impact alternative to traditional cardboard moving boxes.” http://www.facebook.com/l/b0c11;www.frogbox.com In an effort to minimize the environmental impact and stress of moving, FROGBOX offers a refreshing alternative in the form of reusable containers, dropped off at your home. Once moved, they then take the containers back, relieving you of the mess and hassle of piles of cardboard and paper.
The correlation between having identified and established a sound set of core values with that of consistent success and achievement is real. (page 21, Chapter 1 Ride Like a Penguin)
When asked to identify his own company’s core values, Doug cited “Integrity, fun and achievement.” He explained, “Our values are very basic and drive the decisions we make every day. We set goals for every office on a monthly and yearly basis. Happy customers, happy employees and a positive bottom line! Employees are happy if they are having fun and it’s fun to be around customers who are happy about the service. . Achievement is necessary to have a positive bottom line.”
Knowing that you are willing to take a loss for those same values, is the best indicator as to wheather or not you’ve successfully identified what it is that you stand for. As Doug points out, defending his values has at times meant taking a financial loss. “While we take the short term losses to defend our values, in the end, these actions actually help us get closer to our goals.” He continues that, “If you are building a company that plans to be around for the long haul, you need to defend your values.”
Just as FROGBOX is intent on minimizing the stress of moving, for both the environment and your peace of mind, identifying and establishing your own core values will do the same for you and can be the best form of long term insurance your company needs.