What It Means to Be an Outlier

Never take shortcuts that compromise your safety or put your teammates or our clients in danger.

Demonstrate doing the right thing in all your actions and all your decisions, especially when no one is looking. Always tell the truth. Acknowledge and own your mistakes, clean them up and make appropriate corrections.

Don’t accept anything at “face value” if it doesn’t make sense to you. Be curious and question what you don’t understand. Healthy, vigorous debate creates better solutions. There’s no better question than “Why?”.

Demonstrate a passion for our mission. We’re all responsible for and benefit from the business reputation. Act in a way that models our business fundamentals. Become an expert at clearly articulating our stand for quality work and our value proposition. Protect ours and your reputation. Keep an enterprise-wide perspective for business and the client, knowing that what you do impacts everyone.

Operate from the assumption the people are good and that the intent behind their actions is positive. Respect and trust create stronger relationships and generate better results than do judgments, sarcasm, doubt, and cynicism.

We fix mistakes by focusing on solutions. Then we identify lessons learned so we don’t make the same mistakes again. This promotes trust and partnership.

Recognizing people doing things right is more effective than catching them doing things wrong. Give meaningful (timely, specific, impactful) acknowledgment and appreciation for both individual and team successes.

It’s not about you. Worrying about who gets credit or taking things personally is counterproductive. Make sure every decision is based solely on advancing the business, team and client goals.

Take the extra steps to blow away our customers with unbelievable service. Make every customer interaction stand out for its friendliness, warmth, and helpfulness. Be a fanatic about response time and keeping customers updated on the status of their issues.

We reward and celebrate results. Set challenging goals and then go after them. Don’t shy away from numbers or accountability.

Take personal responsibility for making things happen – somehow, someway. Respond to every situation by looking for how we can do it, rather than explaining why it can’t be done. Be a part of the solution, not the problem.

We judge situations not by what happens, but by how they compare to what we expected to happen. Avoid misunderstandings by creating mutually understood expectations in every case.

Deliver on your commitments every time. This includes being on time and being prepared for projects, phone calls, appointments, meetings and promises. If a commitment can’t be fulfilled, notify others early, and agree on a new commitment to be honored.

Own your actions and take responsibility. Ownership accountability means holding yourself to account, holding others to account, and the willingness to be held to account. Be aware and own your impact on others.

Listening is more than simply “not speaking.” Be present and engaged. Quiet the noise in your head and let go of the need to agree or disagree. Listen with care and with empathy. Above all, listen to understand.

Be a “lifetime learner”. Continually invest in your education, both formally and informally. Never stop improving your business, technical, personal skills, and self-awareness. Excellence is a journey, not a destination.

Speak honestly in a way that moves the action forward. Say what you mean and be sensitive to your impact in your communications. Remember that disagreement doesn’t mean rejection. Address issues directly with those who are involved and/or affected.

From the setup of a project to the work instructions on a job, from nailing the tolerances to getting the paperwork right ... Details matter. Be a fanatic about accuracy and precision.

Stand by your teammates’ success, be respectful and honest, give and accept coaching and feedback. Take accountability for your impact on others.