Earlier today I was in the SalesLoft office catching up and the first thing I noticed was the energy of the company. Energetic employees were everywhere — at a table in the middle of the office having lunch, on a bean bag chair doing a sales call, and walking by on their way out the door.
The energy was amazing.
An energetic environment always starts with the people and their values. Here are SalesLoft’s core values:
- Put Customers First – Of the three stakeholders — employees, customers and investors — only one pays the bills. We win by staying close to them and adding value to their day.
- Team Over Self – We’re committed to each other. We’re always collaborative, but put the interests of the team above our personal agendas.
- Glass Half Full – We always move forward. We work to understand the reality of the situation, then we make the decision to focus on the opportunities.
- Focus on Results – We understand what we’re here to do and make decisions with purpose to achieve our goals.
- Bias Towards Action – We’re motivated. We go out of our way to figure things out and present solutions, rather than problems.
Customer-oriented people that are positive, focused, and team players sounds nice, but only works when the entire company is committed to the values. Many companies talk about values but few truly buy into them. Values set the tone and aligned cultures have a magnetic energy.
What else? What are some more thoughts on the energy in a values-oriented company?
David Cummings on Startups 