Our Fundamental Behaviors
When our founder, Ben Markens, created these 16 behaviors, he envisioned the principles he would want at the heart of any company he worked for. More than ordinary values, these fundamentals are woven into our daily operations and embedded in how we work together, serve our clients, and build community. They are the foundation of our culture and the standard we hold ourselves to every day.
We are Friendly
...kind, and empathic and give each other the benefit of the doubt. We say, “good morning,” “please,” and “thank you.”
Ben says, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
We do our best
...every day. We are personally accountable and don’t make excuses.
We empower
...team members to learn, grow, and stretch their abilities. When a teammate steps up and grows, we celebrate their accomplishment.
We foster teamwork
We can always count on our teammates to support and defend us.
We are fair
We always do the right (fair) thing and look for win-win solutions.
We say "yes"
We find a way to say “yes” or “yes and” with both external and internal customers.
Ben says, “I prefer to use “and” instead of “but” whenever it sounds okay.”
We have fun
...laugh, and celebrate milestones and successes.
We get results
We are results-oriented.
Ben says, “Don’t confuse activity with results. Work smarter, not harder.”
We are Prompt
We complete tasks on-time or ask for help if we can’t get it done.
Ben says, “Never worry, it’s done.”
We are collaborative
...and work to anticipate problems and solve them proactively.
We are relentless
...at providing excellent client experiences.
We create processes
...and re-evaluate our processes for successful events and projects.
We are creative
...and encourage dynamic problem solving and strategic thinking.
Ben says, “I feel that team members on the frontline have the best ideas for fixing processes and problems. As much as possible, we should try to find the root cause of problems.”
We Improve
Improving is about getting better, not determining blame.
Ben says, “Everyone makes mistakes. It’s how we correct them (accept responsibility and do the right thing) and what we learn from them that matters.”
We communicate directly
Direct and clear communications are imperative to team cohesiveness. We encourage respectful, honest dialog directly with our colleagues.
Ben says, “Clarity and communication are the antidotes to anxiety and uncertainty. We can disagree without being disagreeable."
We serve community
Ben says, “We encourage our team to give and give back to the communities in which they live.”