What tops your list when you think about developing competitive advantages for your business?

Better products?

Better services?

What about company culture? Is that one even on your radar?

It is for companies like Softchoice, who are proud to claim their culture as one of their top competitive advantages.

The Canadian-based provider of IT solutions and services is one of those companies who just gets it when it comes to culture. They’ve been named one of the Best Workplaces in Canada three times, they’ve received awards from their customers for providing exceptional service (Nordstrom presented them with a Gold Award for Supplier Excellence), and they’re consistently recognized by their channel partners (including Microsoft and Lenovo) for being Outstanding Partners.

What an impact---employees, customers and suppliers ALL lavishing such great praise on the company.

They must be doing something right.

According to Nick Foster, SVP of Business Development, it’s due to being purposeful about the culture.

Since its inception in 1990, the company has always operated based on a core set of values. Today’s list was created by not only polling employees regarding values and strengths, but also by seeking and including customer and vendor input.

Here is their current list of values:

We Have Customer Passion: Our passion for providing exceptional service is the cornerstone of our success. We make every effort to put the customer first. As we seek to simplify the complicated and bring our knowledge of our business and IT to bear, we go above and beyond.

We Get it Done…Differently: Our customers count on us to own the end result. We recognize that delivering on our promises is critical to their personal success and the success of the organizations they represent.

We Take Care of Each Other: We put a premium on “nice” because, at the end of the day, our customers aren’t systems or companies – they’re people. We’ve built our entire company around the idea of people helping people get things done. It’s what makes Softchoice unique.

We’re in It for the Growth: Personally, professionally and as a business, our commitment to growth is an exciting journey and one without a finish line. Fueled by individuals who live to learn, we set the bar high and reach for it every day.

The list is short and sweet, but it fuels everything they do. Values are at the heart of all corporate functions. Whether it’s a small departmental meeting or an all-company Launch party, the company doesn’t miss a chance to promote the values. The leadership team is deliberate about constantly communicating, as well as modeling, the values that are so important to maintaining the culture.

As Foster notes, this is a key role for the leadership of any company. At any stage of the game, leaders need to keep culture at the forefront of their strategic vision for the organization.   He says, “For new companies, the reality is that they will develop a company culture - either one that will be helpful or one that will hinder their growth. So, to be very purposeful about making choices that are supported by the leaders’ beliefs is critical… If we are clear about what drives them, then a healthy culture can be built. If I am muddled or the senior leadership team holds conflicting beliefs, then the leadership sends conflicting messages.”

According to Company Culture, “Because a company’s culture affects everything in it – including profits – culture is the real bottom line. A company with a well-developed culture, open to all that its members want to bring – easily outperforms its competitors.”

Tell that to Softchoice.

Oh, wait… they already know.

 

Photo: Softchoice Logo, used with permission