Now, more than ever, companies are acknowledging that a well-balanced and supportive work environment is the key to employee and client success. Because of this, it’s vital to cultivate a workplace culture that has clearly defined values, support structures, and candid communication.
Here at KWSM, we are guided by seven Core Values: Social, Communicative, Creative, Uncommonly Organized, Loyal, Passionate, and Team Oriented. Each of these holds a significant role in our function as a digital marketing agency, but they also serve to make us better teammates and employees. I’ll be focusing on loyalty – because I believe that without loyalty in the workplace, you can’t be successful.
Loyalty is Crucial to Workplace Culture
When talking about being loyal as a Core Value, I’m not talking about blind loyalty or non-compete contracts. Here’s how we define the role of Loyalty at KWSM:
Creating an environment of safety, contribution, and fulfillment requires loyalty to the agency, our teammates, and our clients. We’re committed to helping and supporting each other and serving our clients with integrity. We communicate about feelings and plans openly and are mindful of the consequences of our actions – putting the team goals above our egos.
The foundation of a successful business is loyalty like this because it goes past the individual and focuses on the bigger picture. It takes each member of our team exhibiting foundations of loyalty to complete each task to the standard of excellence that we have set for ourselves. We do this by exhibiting three fundamental behaviors of Loyalty.
Fundamental Behaviors of Loyalty
Accept feedback without defensiveness and work to continuously learn and improve
This can be difficult for everyone, especially creative types like copywriters and web designers. When we feel like we have put our best work into a deliverable and the feedback we receive isn’t what we anticipate, it can lead us to get defensive and try to push back. But this is where that big-picture view comes in. Our teammates may know something about the client’s tone or services that may not have been accurately expressed in our work. We have to reframe our perception that all feedback is negative criticism, and shift to viewing it as an opportunity to improve our understanding of the project and the quality of work. If we aren’t open to candid feedback, not only will we never grow our skills, but it can create a negative work environment for you and your teammates.
Have team members’ backs and step in to ensure no one drops balls or fails on a project
The number one rule at KWSM is “Tell someone that you are going to drop a ball before you drop the ball.” Admittedly, I have struggled with this because it’s hard to admit failure on any level. We want to try and fix it as quickly as we can but that doesn’t serve anyone in the long run. We show loyalty to our teammates and our clients when we reach out for help when we run into issues. We also support each other by touching base with our teams regularly to provide updates and offer assistance and encouragement. This system prevents missed deadlines, lack of communication with our clients, and poor-quality work.
Advocate for your clients and be dependable and accountable for client work
We know our clients and their products best. Because we work with them every day, we learn the ins and outs of their business goals, tone, and products. So when we discuss strategy and monthly goals, we show loyalty to our clients by communicating those goals with the team and working to implement these strategies each month. A very important part of our work with the clients is taking ownership of our work. It goes beyond turning in a deliverable and washing our hands of the situation. We are accountable for the outcome of the work we produce so we take steps to follow up and learn from each project.
94% of entrepreneurs and 88% of job seekers say that healthy workplace culture is vital for success.
KWSM is always hiring dynamic individuals with a passion for digital marketing. Check out KWSM’s career opportunities and discover what sets us apart from the rest.
Contact us to learn how to join our team!
