How? By building a team of extraordinary people working together in a unique, high performing culture. The 25 fundamentals that follow describe the daily practices that define our culture. They’re what set us apart and what make us leaders in the home services industry.
Demonstrate a passion for excellence and take pride in the quality of everything you do. You are an experienced craftsman with technical and interpersonal skills. You make a choice every day to be or not to be excellent. Excellence is not hard to achieve. Excellence is just the next 5 minutes.
Obstacles are opportunities to be tested, to try new things, and to ultimately triumph. Take personal responsibility to get things done, somehow, someway. Be relentless and do whatever it takes to deliver what we’ve been asked to deliver. Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it. Be resourceful and show initiative. Keep moving forward.
Rapid response and follow up is one of the easiest and best ways to stand out from the crowd. People expect us to respond to their questions and concerns quickly, whether it is in person, on the phone, or by e-mail. This includes simply acknowledging that we got the question and we are ‘on it’, as well as keeping those involved continuously updated. Be accessible, and let others know how they can be assisted if you are not.
Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to do the right thing in every action you take and in every decision you make, especially when no one is looking. Always tell the truth, no matter the consequences. If you make a mistake, own up to it, apologize and make it right. In all situations, act in the best interests of our client, even if it is to our own short-term detriment. Never compromise our values, under any circumstances. Integrity is non-negotiable.
Create clarity and avoid misunderstandings by discussing expectations upfront. Set expectations for others and ask when you’re not clear on what they expect of you. Remember, people judge us not by what happens, but by how it compares to what they expected to happen.
Be personal yet professional by speaking honestly in a way that helps to make progress. Say what you mean, and be willing to ask questions, share ideas, or raise issues that may cause conflict when it’s necessary for team success. Address issues directly with those who are involved or affected. Use the simplest possible explanations.
Regularly reevaluate every aspect of your job to find ways to improve and become an expert in your field. Guard against complacency and never be satisfied with the status quo. ‘Because we’ve always done it that way’ is not a reason. Be a lifelong learner with a “growth mindset”. Be a mentor and be mentored. Develop a specific product and/or industry expertise. Be the ‘go to’ person that others look to for recommendations and solutions.
Work from the assumption that people’s intentions are good, and that the thought behind their actions is positive. Set aside your judgments and preconceived notions. Choose to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Take responsibility to get things right, not just get things done. Work with a sense of urgency to get things done but recognize when you need to slow down in order to speed up and to be safe. Measure twice, cut once. Get it right the first time. Focus on accuracy and precision and double-check your work.
It is all about the experience. Do the little things, as well as the big things, that surprise people. Do the unexpected and create amazing experiences they will tell stories about. Remember that our most important relationship is with the customer, so serve them well.
Work together. Do not let your ego or personal agenda get in the way of doing what’s best for the team. Be willing to step into another role or help a co-worker when that’s what is required for success. “We” supersedes “Me.” Each and every one of us are building a team of team builders.
We’re all responsible for and benefit from the ProLift image and reputation. Be a brand ambassador and always put your best foot forward. Consider how your actions and words affect our collective reputation and act in a way that brings honor to us all.
The quality of the information you get is directly related to the quality of the questions you ask. Be curious, ask thoughtful questions, and listen intently to the answers. Be more interested in asking and listening than in speaking. Asking questions is the best way to build rapport, learn, and is critical to ProLift’s overall approach. Be a sponge.
Make decisions by asking yourself, ‘What would I do if this were my company? Could I be making or saving the company more by doing it differently?’ Spend the company’s money like it was yours. Our job is to take care of the customer and make money doing it.
You are an expert in this industry. You know how things work and how to fix them. You know that fixing what is broken doesn’t always fix the problem. Your role is to diagnose the situation and provide the customer with all the relevant options no matter the breadth, cost, or solution. The customer’s role is to decide on what is best for their situation.
Keep things fun. Remember that the world has bigger problems than the daily challenges that make up our work. Stuff happens. Keep perspective. Don’t take things personally or take yourself too seriously. Laugh often.
Apply your creativity and enthusiasm to developing solutions, rather than pointing fingers or dwelling on problems. Identify lessons learned and use those lessons to strengthen the team, and to improve ourselves and our processes so we do not make the same mistake twice. Learn from every experience.
Make sure your personal appearance, your work area, your truck and our facilities are safe, clean, and orderly. It inspires confidence in our ability and our quality. Pay attention to the image you present because you’ll never have a second chance to make a first impression.
Address issues by discovering the core root cause rather than simply tackling the symptoms. It’s better to invest time in developing a long-term solution rather than simply putting on a ‘Band-Aid.’ Have a passion to do it right. Loathe recalls and having to do something twice.
You have the power to choose your attitude. Choose to be optimistic and enthusiastic. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Your attitude is contagious; so, make the most of each day by approaching every task with energy, focus, purpose and enthusiasm.
Live by your word. Do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it… It earns people’s trust in you. This includes being on time for our projects, meetings and promises. If a commitment cannot be fulfilled, notify others early and agree on a new expectation to be honored.
Listening is more than simply ‘not speaking.’ Give others your undivided attention. Be present and engaged. Quiet the noise in your head and let go of the need to agree or disagree. Suspend your judgment and be curious to know more, rather than jumping to conclusions. Above all, listen to understand.
Recognizing people doing things right is more effective than pointing out when they do things wrong. Regularly extend meaningful acknowledgment and appreciation in all directions throughout our organization.
World-class organizations are built on a foundation of highly effective, repeatable processes. Use the proven processes provided and look to create effective processes for every aspect of your work, and then turn those processes into habits to achieve consistent results.
Be prepared for any customer situation by keeping your truck stocked so you can finish the job today and not tomorrow. Be resourceful and use what you have to fix the problem. Our customers have busy, time-constrained schedules. They want their problems and projects to be finished so they can move on with their lives.
