“He who has a WHY can endure any HOW”
~ Frederick Nietzsche
In literature the motive behind the action is the most crucial part of any story. The failure to communicate WHY often creates confusion or doubt. If a company does not have a clear sense of WHY it exists, then it is impossible for the outside world to perceive anything more than WHAT that company does.
We are naturally drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe, giving them the ability to inspire us, draw us close and command our loyalty. When a company clearly communicates their WHY, what they believe; and we believe what they believe, then we will go to extraordinary lengths to include that company in our lives. That company makes us FEEL like we BELONG, thus a relationship is born out of those shared beliefs and values. When we feel like we belong we feel connected and we feel safe. As humans we crave this feeling and we will seek it out.
Through a series of think tank sessions, FM Solutions Leadership were able to peel back the layers of WHAT services we offered and realized our common purpose, or WHY. Our leadership realized that the journey our company has taken since its incorporation in 2002, has always been about building and growing our employees so they could realize their full potential, thus simultaneously building and growing the company as well. Throughout this past decade we also have placed a high priority on giving back to our community and many non-profit organizations who benefitted from the many skillsets our staff had to offer. These insights resulted in the creation of the FM Solution’s WHY Statement:
“We optimize value for our clients through building and developing our employees and our community.”
Another discovery was that as a small business we have the FREEDOM to set our own targets and standards. One hundred percent commitment is imperative to being impassioned enough to nurture the company through the next few evolutionary steps. The great thing about genuine passion is that it is infectious. Clients and employees alike WANT to feel they are supporting a cause by enthusiastically participating in projects that are relationship focused and results driven.
Each one of our Business Units created an action verb as they were creating their own individual HOW statements
- Architecture – WE CREATE …
- Facility Consulting – WE INTEGRATE …
- Project Management – WE EXECUTE …
- Field Services – WE IMPLEMENT …
- Property Management – WE MANAGE …
Redefining ourselves has resulted in a new ability to communicate our vision for where the company is now in the present and will be in the future, thus inspiring others to help take us there.
Our next blog will center on “Optimizing Value” and Nelson Mandela’s quote, “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
Thanks for Listening …
VLS July, 2015
It was dark when I woke. This is a ray of suinshne.