Monday, October 24

Bill Ogé’s Weekly Voicemail VisionTalk

“Good morning, guys. Bill here. What I want to talk to you about this week is the importance of adhering to our leadership values and behaviors, to bring home just how vital it is to be seen by stakeholders, customers, regulatory authorities, you name it, how we’re like, you know, like a great beer, filled to the brim with integrity and topped off with a thick, foamy head of values.

This brings to mind a time when I was a young lawyer - just 28 years old. I was sitting in a bar in Akron, dropping shots of bourbon and having a few beers, the night before I was to bring my very first case to trial. Sitting with me was my client, Paddy McGinty, a big mountain of a guy, about six feet seven with thick, wavy salt and pepper hair and dark piercing eyes. He was a finance guy who had been wrongly accused of misappropriation of funds. He was one of those guys with really strong principles, not to mention an iron stomach.

So you know the drill. We’re sitting together in this all night bar, the rain beating down the window panes. I told him straight that when we walked into court the next morning the opposition was going to do everything possible to demolish him, his character, his reputation. You know what he said? I’ve never forgotten it. ‘Bill’, he said, ‘I ain’t gonna lose no sleep over it. How about another?’

Let me tell you, we went into court the next morning after having stayed up all night hashing through it, and guess what? We won! And do you know why we won? Because that man could prove he was filled to the brim with integrity and was living his values day in and day out. It made a terrific impression on me, to see this guy with a lot to lose - he had something like six kids from nine marriages - and he gave an amazing presentation; real moving and genuine like. To tell you the truth, I was sure the guy was going to get buried. But he didn’t.

At Institutionalized, we’re a lot like that guy. When we demonstrate passionate commitment to our values, our business will always win. But it’s because we’re a successful company, and therefore a more visible company, that it’s Vision critical for all of us to be seen to be leading with our values. Because everything comes back to the big P, doesn’t it? When you think about it? There are no absolutes, only perceptions. And the key is not to create the wrong perception, right? It’s a no brainer! Sure, we may have our values, but more important than just having values is that everyone can see them stamped all over us. We have to remember that even the appearance of misconduct or the impression of ethical lapses ... any misstep at all could damage our reputation and it doesn’t matter if that misstep is with an employee, a customer, whatever. The law can easily be turned in the favor of those guys who know how to demonstrate that they’re living their values.

As we continue our quest for success, we must see ourselves as that mountain of a finance guy, swigging back the bourbon in Akron, confident in his vision the night before a crucial court case. Because let’s be real here, there’s always someone wanting to sue us out there. But by sticking to our principles and living our values, we know we’ve got nothing to lose and everything in the world to gain.

Drill this message into your direct reports, guys. And when you’re in the shower, reciting the six behaviors to yourself, above all, remember the one about integrity because it’s a KAP and crucial to the Vision. Okay guys, that’s it for now. Let’s do it!”