What I Learned This Week

If it's good for the community, it's good for the business

I love this community. I'm honored to be a part of its growth, its spirit and its future.

Our business has a guiding principles statement. It's printed on poster boards and hangs in each office of our studio here in Bangor. I'm proud of our beautiful studio. I'm proud of our fantastic employees. And I'm proud of our guiding principles.

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Our Guiding Principles:

Sutherland Weston Marketing Communications...

• Offers a creative and collaborative environment that fosters balance and prosperity;
• Listens, respects and exceeds our clients' needs and expectations;
• Engages our personal and collective resources to enrich our community

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Our principles were developed through working as a team four years ago and deciding what kind of company we were going to be.

I look at that poster every day. As a business owner, I'm faced with decisions on a regular basis that measures profit vs. principle, compassion vs. cost and return vs. relationship.

That poster is my foundation for each decision I make.

Some decisions have an immediate short-term effect for either the company or the client. Some decisions are harder to measure. Some come with a defined cost and some come with opportunity cost. Sometimes I say "yes". Sometimes I say "No".

But the decision always comes down to this one question - "Am I holding true to what we said we'd do."

If the answer to that question is "Yes", then it's a decision I believe in.

We've redone entire projects on our dime because we didn't get the results we were after. We've waived fees and made investments in our clients' projects because that's what it took to be successful. We've held out a hand when times were tough and we've celebrated with crowds where times were joyful.

It's more than just a business. It's a team looking to make a difference.

This week I found myself more aware than usual of issues impacting our employees, our clients and our community at large.

These are troubled times and there are far more questions than answers. As a company, we provide value to businesses looking to grow. But as people, we provide a much greater value to the people we interact with.

As I've mentioned before, I remember a great line of advice from my 20's - someone once told me that to be successful in business, you must practice Kindergarten Principles and Third Grade Math. The rest will fall into place.

We've donated hundreds of hours to community projects.

Our employees serve on a number of boards and committees throughout the region.

We've done great work and helped some tremendous people succeed.

And yet, it's always about the next decision you make because that's all that matters. Treat each person and circumstance as unique and do what you think is right - Kindergarten Principles.

So with each passing day comes more and more decisions.

More opportunities to make a difference.

Profit vs. principle. Compassion vs. cost. Return vs. relationship.

Let the poster be heard.