Morehouse Core Values
"When we assign blame, we are pointing the finger to who or what is responsible for a fault or for wrongdoing. We are trying to make others accountable.
Blaming does not solve a problem; it usually only makes people defensive."
– Catherine Pulsifer, Inspirational author
Core Values Pyramid
Core values are fundamental beliefs held by a person or an organization. These guiding principles dictate behavior among the group and help people understand the difference between right and wrong. Engagement is easier to achieve when the core values are realized versus when values look good on the wall or are merely understood to exist.
At the top of the pyramid, we have Realization. “Realization” is when the organization is firing on all cylinders. Everyone in the organization understands the core values and knows how to apply them. They are discussed frequently, and the values are found in strategy and tactics.
At the “discussed” level, leadership and management have only adopted some of the core values. Some may feel the organization references the values if or when it is convenient.
When the values are a “poster on the wall,” they are visible, though never discussed. Typically, the organization leader created them without discussion from the team.
When they are “understood,” they are not written down and are instead floating around in the leaders' or CEO’s head to be applied inconsistently.
“None” means just what it implies; no one has even thought about what the organization might stand for. Core values are valuable management tools; therefore, it makes sense that when core values are neither discussed nor applied, management suffers.
The Importance of Core Values in Management
Leadership needs to talk about organizational values, and the discussion and application of these values must be carried down through mid-management. The managers are the ones that must carry the water for the organization regarding core values, so if you have the right people in the right seats, they'll grasp this ideal as soon as possible since it will make their jobs easier.
A primary benefit of core values is that they help remove excess emotion from the management equation. Emotion is always present since we are all human, though holding someone accountable to a value is much different from attacking their character. It is much more professional to ask how an employee’s behavior aligns with your value of accountability for actions when they do not own up to a mistake, rather than attacking them personally by questioning their integrity.
A robust set of core values includes clarifying statements that management might discuss differently externally versus internally. For instance, if you have a value such as “Promote a Positive Customer Experience,” the value should define what this means internally and externally to the organization. Internally is what we hold ourselves accountable for as a team to each other. The internal value might be that we provide quality services and products on time, meeting or exceeding customer expectations.
The external value might be differentiated by how others outside the organization regard us. Let's consider what “Promote a Positive Customer Experience” means to those who do business with us. We might say, “We differentiate Morehouse from our competition by setting and fulfilling real expectations, proactively communicating, and delivering solutions that meet or exceed customer expectations.”
Suppose one of our team members forgets to complete a calibration, review paperwork, or any other important task that causes a shipment deadline to be missed. In this case, the discussion can be free from emotion if management asks for clarification on why we missed the shipment. There might be an entirely valid reason that all can agree on.
However, if the reason is not valid, asking a team member how their actions contributed to a positive customer experience is usually enough to open a conversation about how their lack of performance impacts the organization. Such a discussion may help them realize that they are accountable for their behavior and that their behavior can make a difference.
Permeating these values throughout an organization takes time: Likely 2-4 months for them to be widely known, 4-6 months for understanding (if they are consistently being applied), and 6-12 months for them to be driven through the organization in a meaningful way. The first step is to consult the entire team so everyone can decide and define the values.
How to Start Developing Your Core Values
To begin this process, we sat down with our leaders over several weeks to define our core values and their internal and external meanings. We started by looking at people in our organization that we would like to have more of them because of the values they bring every day. We looked at people we knew outside the organization and the qualities they had that we would want on our team. From that list, we looked at what everyone had in common.
The team came up with six values that define Morehouse as an organization: Promote a Positive Customer Experience, Raise the Standard, Own Your Actions, Speak Your Truth with an Open Mind, Trust the Team, and Have Fun - Get Stuff Done. Yes, the first five spell PROST, as we like having fun. The core values are only solidified with what they mean to our team internally and externally to serve our customers best.
For example, our internal value for Speak Your Own Truth with an Open Mind is to speak one’s truth while knowing bias exists and keeping an open mind. We discussed how important it is to ensure everyone knows who they are speaking to. To know that you may not be clear on your words and might need to ask whomever you are speaking to recap the discussion.
On Own Your Actions, our external value is that we hold vendors and customers responsible for their actions while maintaining and clearly communicating our high-quality standards.
Core Values Help Us Decide How to Run Our Business.
How do you choose to run your business? Do you play the games, or are you up-front with potential customers about what they can expect when working with your company?
If a customer or potential customer is shopping on price alone, we are not interested in back-and-forth negotiation games, and we will communicate this to them. We believe we provide a higher level of value to our customers and are not interested in those who prioritize price above the overall quality of service.
Consider this analogy: I drive to and from work each day and do not need the full-sized vehicle I own; instead, I could buy an economical moped or scooter. However, the latter is not a desirable form of transportation during cold-weather or rainy days. It is just as unrealistic for me only to consider the cost of my transportation as it is for the price to be the primary consideration in our business.
Yes, price is important. But we decided to stop filling out forms long ago when a potential customer says the lowest bid gets the work.
Our measurements matter; we do not see lowering our standards to provide lower pricing as beneficial. It would require less accurate measurements or less time spent making sure these measurements are correct. Lowering our standards would contradict our core values. Specifically, our value of Raise the Standard.
We believe in setting the highest standards for the quality of work we perform, and our team is accountable to those high standards and these six core values. Below is a list of the six core values with bullet points further defining what these look like to us.
The 6 Core Values Morehouse Uses To Achieve Excellence
PROMOTE A POSITIVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
- Proactive Communications
- Understand and exceed expectations
- Establish a lasting relationship
RAISE THE STANDARD
- Improve everyday
- Learn, Learn, Learn
- Be humbly confident
OWN YOUR ACTIONS
- Take the responsibility
- Do what you say
- Learn from your mistakes
SPEAK YOUR TRUTH WITH an OPEN MIND
- Know your bias
- Know your audience
- It’s not what you say; it’s what people hear
TRUST THE TEAM
- Promote ideas for improvement
- Solve problems together
- How can I help
HAVE FUN – GET STUFF DONE
- Make it Fun, and it will get done
- Create a positive environment
- Celebrate success
Morehouse Core Values - Conclusion
I take great pride in our knowledgeable team at Morehouse, who continue to work with everyone, clarify complex topics, and provide tools such as free guidance documents, excel sheets, and products to help you make better force measurements. We want to make sure everyone knows the core values of the company they deal with.
At Morehouse, we take pride in our core values and strive to raise the standard by educating our customers and providing solutions to you. Most of these solutions are available for free to help you make better measurements and can be found here.
We have been in business for over a century and focus on being the most recognized name in the force sensor calibration business.
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Everything we do, we believe in changing how people think about force and torque calibration. We challenge the "just calibrate it" mentality by educating our customers on what matters, what causes significant errors, and how to focus on reducing them. In addition, Morehouse makes simple-to-use calibration products. We build excellent force equipment that is plumb, level, square, and rigid.
If you have more questions about tension link calibration, need adapters, load cells, calibration, or other questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with us @ 717-843-0081 to talk to a live person or email info@mhforce.com. Visit us on the web at mhforce.com.
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