Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

To judge is human nature, and researchers have found that passing judgment has more to do with ourselves than others. That said, we ultimately judge because of our own insecurities. Earl Nightingale once said, “When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.” Eeek! We judge all the time and we don’t even realize it — strangers in a restaurant, new people on their first day, actions/words in everyday life (boy, that email was scathing). The heart of the matter is, judgment can be extremely detrimental to relationships, work environments and our own psyches. 

We often make the mistake of trying to control every aspect of our lives. Many of us have a morning routine we follow religiously. For some, it is waking up in time to enjoy a cup of coffee outside on the deck, catch up on news or stop by Chick-fil-a for your regular #1 meal with two strawberry jelly packets and an orange juice. For others, it is going on a morning jog, getting the children ready for school or having a fashion show in the mirror to find the perfect outfit. Hey, no judgment here!

Regardless of what you do to get going in the morning, it is your routine, and it seems like something you have full control over. That is viable, right up until disaster strikes (insert scream here)! Now it seems the rest of your day is thrown off. We can control the amount of coffee we consume or our morning workout; however, we cannot control the unexpected events that prevent us from sticking to our routine.

Discipline equals freedom. That short sentence is seemingly a paradox. When we typically think of the meaning of discipline, we think of more effort, discomfort, and doing the opposite of what our natural predisposition tells us to do.

Why are mistakes so hard to swallow? You know that sinking feeling in your stomach, the sweaty palms and the voice in your head screaming "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?" This feeling might be something similar to getting pulled over for the first time, discovering your checking account is overdrawn or accidentally running into the car in front of you while your attention was diverted (on something completely not worth the accident). It's a terrible feeling.

Trying to raise a child could be compared to being in a large boardroom during the negotiations of a hostile takeover. Over the last seven years that I have been blessed (or in negotiations) with my child, I have noticed that I have acquired new skills and honed existing ones, some of which are often utilized in the professional world.

We’ve all heard the pros and cons of group projects. It’s a great experience if all team members bring something to the table and work well together. But, what if that isn’t the case? It’s easy for the attitude to emerge of going on standby. You know, the attitude of just standing by to see what happens next. Or waiting to see who will make the next move.  

What does the concept of WE and SERVICE mean to you? For me, this concept is foundational, it is fundamental to my purpose. At HORNE, it has become our “North Star” for the way we make decisions, always pointing us to true north. When we think about a WE and SERVICE approach, I think it can be evaluated as two main components: attitude and ownership. For me, and for our team, the importance of a positive attitude and an ownership mentality make all the difference in our journey to build the Wise Firm.