Living the Brand

Can't talk the talk without walking the walk.

A wise man once said, “Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.”

Before passing judgment upon a fellow man, we must ask ourselves, “Do I practice what I preach to others?”

In my short time at Incept, I have become part of a special committee aimed at changing Incept for the betterment of everyone involved. We are known as Incept’s Live the Brand Steering Committee.

Recently, a series of focus groups were held in order to determine what we could do to improve not only the work environment of Incept, but the overall direction we want to take as a company. It’s been an interesting, on going process to say the least! I never would have pictured myself sitting in my first business meetings and coming to know – personally – the company president and vice presidents. I must say, they also know how to feed an iCME!

One of the things we have all agreed on is this: to be sucessful, we must be sure we set an example by living Incept’s core values. Today, I heard our company’s values described as “the cornerstone” of what we do. I cannot begin to stress enough the passionate belief that Incept’s hierarchy holds in changing the company in positive ways toward becoming a leader in the industry.

That being said, let’s take a refreshing look at Incept’s values and what they mean:

• Integrity. Integrity is simply defined as “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.“ No matter what the situation might be, having integrity at Incept means having (and displaying) an appropriate moral fiber, combined with sensible logic, to achieve a goal or solve a problem. Alan K. Simpson stated, “If  you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” True words, indeed.

• Never Satisfied. We believe we can always improve. Never Satisfied at Incept means we all do our best as a company in whatever we do. If we hit our goal for the day recruiting blood donors that doesn’t mean we stop recruiting. We are always pushing the boundaries of what it means to do your best. We also use this philosophy in regards to how we can change our company positively. The sky is the limit.

• Compassion. Compassion is a very elementary but powerful feeling. The ability to empathize and feel for another’s situation or predicament is something Incept seeks in all its employees. We deal with people on a daily basis, and we always need to be sympathetic to someone’s circumstances. The power of compassion goes far beyond the offices of Incept and is something I’m glad to see my fellow CMEs and superiors have and practice. In showing compassion we accomplish our goals of being a morally sound individual and building better relationships with everyone involved with Incept. What a beautiful thing that is.

• Everyone is A Customer. On the phone, I often encounter a person who I wasn’t originally calling for. I always make sure to take the opportunity to actively engage them and ask if they would like to donate blood. Sometimes this will result in an appointment to donate blood (so someone’s life can be bettered or saved). It is with the philosophy of Everyone is a Customer that many unplanned blood donations have been made possible. The biggest way Incept conveys  this value is via a professional demeanor, always asking, “What can we do for you?” to any and everyone.

• Present. When I am at Incept I always make sure I am fully engaged and doing my best, regardless of the task or project. This is a value that challenges us as Incept employees to maintain a balance to our lives. When we are in the office, we vow to concentrate on doing our best, and when work is over, we will concentrate on our families and our personal lives.

• Tenacious. We recognize being Tenacious as not being dispelled or discouraged easily. Being positively persistent to accomplish a goal is the name of the game. Personally, this is more of a mindset I enter into before work. An example of being tenacious at Incept is to not let someone rejecting to give blood get me down. Each call is a new chance to try again. Each day is a new day and each week is a new week. Looking at things from that perspective, we can ask, “What can I do differently?”

Lately, I’ve been thinking more and more about what Living the Brand means and I think I’ve reached my own conclusion. It’s funny, but I liken myself to a piece that makes up just one part of the bigger Incept puzzle. As an individual, I am one. However, together with others that take into account and live our values, we all come together to make up the overall vision of Incept.

Do you incorporate any of Incept’s values into your own life? What is a value you would suggest to Incept?