24 Jun There’s loyalty, and then there’s FIERCE loyalty
For the past few months, I’ve been working on identifying the values that drive everything we do here at MMD. This was surprisingly difficult for this decisive girl. I knew we had strong values (that’s what makes us a culture-based company), and I could feel what those were on a visceral level, but coming up with the right words to describe them was a challenge.
In an attempt to nail down our true values, I’ve really taken my time observing, getting feedback from my teammates, and generally reflecting on what makes us different. We also did what’s called a “Brand Sprint”, which is a brainstorming session that’s designed to help you pinpoint the uniqueness of your brand. As a result of all this, I came up with three kickass values for MMD. In this blog post, I’d like to share the first one with you.
MMD Value #1: Fierce Loyalty
At MMD, we’re loyal to each other first, then to our vendors, and then to our customers. Our delivery driver Paul is so loyal to me that he came back to work after two weeks of being at home on COVID leave (he wasn’t sick; I just didn’t want him going out and delivering to everybody in the middle of a pandemic). He’s been working his ass off ever since.
Our Recycling Manager Amy asked to come back to work at the same time as Paul, but I told her she had to wait until June 4th, because I wanted to keep her safe. My fierce loyalty to her and my other staff runs deep. I have Paul’s back, I have Amy’s back, and if anyone messes with them, they’re politely released back into the workforce.
Here’s a great little story about the softer side of fierce loyalty. Amy is an MMD employee, but most of the work she does these days is specific to MMD’s sister company, Flat Can Recycling. She’s so loyal to me and to this business that she texts me with ideas about recycling at 10:00 at night. Even when she was at home and not working due to COVID for 7 weeks, she still kept in touch, and always wanted to know how things were going.
Amy has been attending the automotive program at our local community college for the past while, and she always thought that would be her eventual career. But recently she told me that through her experiences with MMD, Flat Can and recycling, she’s realized that she wants to go back to school for Business, so that she can contribute even more to our mission.
Amy and I had an amazing conversation the other day about her future with Flat Can. Even though we’re living in uncertain times, and most people are hesitant to plan too far ahead right now, Amy and I got into some real talk about 2021 and beyond. Long story short, we agreed that once she’s gotten some business training under her belt, she’s going to be the one running Flat Can, working for me full time in that business, and managing a team of people.
That level of commitment to being part of what we’re doing here at MMD and Flat Can Recycling, and the willingness to vulnerably share her feelings about where she’s feeling called to in terms of a career, can only come from one thing: a fierce sense of loyalty.
I am beyond grateful to be part of a team that cares this deeply about one another. We may be “just” a construction supply company, but around here, we’re thick as thieves, and I firmly believe that ultimately, our vendors, customers, and community benefit from that.
The folks who inspire me everyday:
www.clairvoyantcopywriting.com
www.ottawabagelshop.com
www.joannasmarketplace.com
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