A bit more on values…
It was pointed out to me that the recent Blog I posted, ‘The value of values’, was wholly internal facing, so it might be worth considering how people outside the organisation view 50 Degrees…. and if they think we live our values.
Once I’d got over the fact that someone had read the Blog, thought about it, and gone to the trouble to get in touch with me… I thought, ‘fair point’.
Our business model is built around repeat business, the reputation of our BD specialists, and client recommendations. So, the fact that our pipeline is looking good for the next 12-months (and beyond) probably indicates that clients like the way we work, and are happy with the work we deliver. But it’s important that we don’t get lazy and make assumptions.
On a day-to-day basis we work hand-in-glove with our clients, so we do get constant feedback on our approach. But… we’ve also now resolved to start talking with our clients more directly, to see what they value about working with us; something we’ve maybe not done enough of in the past. This will help us to keep an eye on our values, and whether we’re staying true to them, as we bring more people on board and work across more projects, with more clients.
In another recent Blog, ‘Recruitment is humbling…’, Andy Bowie mentioned that we’re currently doing a round of graduate recruitment. This also got me thinking a little bit about how we’re viewed externally.
We had 70 applications and interviewed 10 unbelievably talented young people. What was interesting to me was that when we did the ‘why 50 Degrees?’ question, pretty much every candidate referred to the Blogs written by Lucy and Will (our super-talented 2021 grad intake).
They were encouraged to see that Lucy and Will were clearly a valued part of the team, that we were interested in their views and wanted to share them. They also saw (from the content of the Blogs) that Lucy and Will are working (and leading) on multiple projects, and working directly with our clients.
The main reason for this is, of course, their talent. And we (Emily) make sure they’re fully supported. But I also think that Will and Lucy’s development has been influenced by us successfully living our values… something I will attempt to justify in a slightly clumsy way here. We’ve challenged them, and they’ve delivered quality. We’ve worked with them collegiately, and they’ve felt empowered to be creative (while hopefully having some fun). And they’ve definitely been a success.
It's great to see that potential candidates have recognised that.
John Ashworth
Managing Consultant