Preserving Aspirations

My last blog posting I discussed the importance of developing corporate aspirations (Mission / Vision / Values). Developing these pieces for your company takes work. However, it is even harder to preserve them as you scale your business.

Having helped grow a Boston venture capital company from 5 employees to 25, I know how difficult it is to scale while still maintaining the same corporate culture. As we add more people to our investment and business development services teams, it requires a constant reminder to our staff in regards to why we exist, what we are trying to accomplish and how we are going to get there. These reminders should be done through daily execution of these aspirations and constant communication of them (post them on the wall, present them during quarterly firm meetings, etc.)

Luckily, we have been successful in preserving our aspirations. However, it takes work. Corporate aspirations get thrown out the window all the time. Think back to the last time you received bad service at a restaurant, experienced a horrible check in at a hotel, or were treated poorly on a flight. I can guarantee you that the founders of those companies do not consider poor customer service, rudeness or inattention to detail as values they built their organization on. When aspirations are not instilled properly (or at all), these situations happen. Trying to drive aspirations into the heads of employees helps people realize why they come to work, what they are working towards, and how they will do it.

Ultimately, those who share your same beliefs will gravitate towards your organization and will be aligned in building something great!