Who We Are

#1 – It’s not about WHO is right, it’s about WHAT is right.
The best ideas matter. Good ideas can come from anyone in the organization. It’s amazing what we can accomplish when people don’t care who gets the credit.
 
#2 – You’ll see it when you believe it.
It doesn’t work the other way around. You can affect the outcome. When you believe it, it changes your actions.
 
#3 – Do the right thing.
Stick to the highest standard of integrity, without compromise. Character is doing the right thing even when no one is watching over your shoulder. Doing the wrong thing is never worth it.
 
#4 - We are "they".
There is no "they" here. We are "they", "them", “those guys".
One team, one mission. We're all in it together.
 
#5 – The details are important.
Opportunities for us to make a difference are everywhere, and they’re usually found in the little things. Everything we do matters. It’s these little things that add up to make the big difference.
 
#6 – Numbers and money don’t lead, they follow.
Don’t chase money or numbers. Chase the skills and knowledge that will make you great at what you are doing or what you are building. Become an expert. Become the best. See it, pursue it with passion, and the numbers will follow.
 
#7 – Don’t focus on perfection, focus on improvement.
When you make a decision three things can happen. You make the right one, which is great. You make the wrong one and hopefully you learn something valuable. Or, you make no decision in which case you haven’t made the right one and you haven’t learned a thing.
 
#8 – Simplicity is genius.
Some people believe that if it’s too simple, it can’t be good. Nothing could be further from the truth. Simplifying things in this fast paced, complicated world isn’t just good, it’s genius. Simple process. Simple communication. It’s as simple as that.
 
#9 – We’ll figure it out.
We don’t always have all the answers before we take on a new project or launch a new idea. But we can figure out some of the details along the way. If we wait to cross every I and dot every T before proceeding with an idea or improvement, then we wouldn’t make much progress at all.
 
#10 – Yes before No.
Pretty simple, right? It doesn’t mean the answer will always be Yes. It means our bias is to the Yes side of life. Saying No is easier because “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. Growth, possibilities, ideas, positive impact and results can come from Yes before No. So, Yes before No, and No only if we’ve done the work and exhausted all the potential of Yes first.
 
#11 – Raise your level of awareness.
It’s a perpetual choice to both stay aware and raise your level of awareness. Keep your head up, look, be curious. Really notice what’s happening around you. Listen to everyone, be alert, be awake. Our success depends on it.
 
#12 – Ignore the Noise.
It’s not only knowledge, skill and hard work that will help us achieve success. It’s also the ability to ignore the noise. Noise could come from naysayers, temporary setback, sun was in your eyes, ball took a bad hop, someone cut you off on the way to work, whatever. A lot of things that seem serious at first glance turn out to be noise. Have the determination to press on in spite of the noise, ignore it. It will make all the difference in the world for you and our department.
 
#13 – Ideas are great, but Execution is where it’s at.
We love new ideas. But ideas alone don’t mean much. It takes both ideas AND execution to make things happen. Great ideas get you to the fifty yard line. Execution gets you into the end zone. Or, for you hockey fans, great ideas get you through the neutral zone and execution puts the puck in the net.
 
#14 – Every citizen, every time.
No exceptions, no excuses. A great police organization is built one citizen at a time. If we treat people right every chance we get, then they are satisfied and the word spreads quickly. If we don’t, that spreads quickly as well. The little things can make a big impact.
 
#15 - Everyday’s a tryout.
For athletes, everyday is a tryout. They are constantly being evaluated on performance, effort, improvement, and attitude. If performance is poor, effort is subpar, they lack improvement, and/or have a bad attitude, they sit on the bench, get cut, get traded, or their contract isn’t renewed. If business owners don’t deliver, they lose customers and may be forced to close. Politicians that become self-serving don’t get re-elected.
Same with us. Our organization is being evaluated daily by the community we serve. We can get better or we can get worse. No one ever stays the same. How’s our tryout going?
 
#16 – There’s more to getting a job done than just getting a job done.
There’s High Level and there’s Low Level. If you can be proud of your work once it’s complete, you’ve executed at a high level. If you’re just going through the motions, that’s low level.
 
 
 
 Portions excerpted from Quicken Loans Inc., Isms in Action, © 2018. Used with permission.