Ahem … a moment while I position my soapbox. I want to address a topic that I believe in, that I was raised with, and that I believe I practice. Now that America is getting back to work, I think it is important to look at the companies that survived. Sure, cash reserves were important, but I was surprised to see that so was the element of public trust. When businesses had to start cutting back on vendor services, I observed that some vendors were retained when others were not. I believe what I saw was that companies stuck with vendors who had solid core values as their purpose for service. I believe that if the core of a business is solid, the service is too.
Your Core Values Are Your Starting Point
Haven’t we all had those days when we thought to ourselves, “whose brilliant idea was it to get into this business anyway?” And yet, those who persist past this point of “what else can I do with my life” usually have some values that keep them true to course. Values can be defined as “a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life. (Oxford Languages.) For a while, there was a lot of focus on a company’s mission statement, but that is not the same as the values upon which the company was founded. In recent times, we have seen both business practices and social morés questioned and compared to a company’s agreed-upon and published values.
At Aptica, Our Core Values Are Showcased On The Wall
Although I tell my kids otherwise, I really can’t see everything and be everywhere and know everything that is happening. Aptica employees must have the same values as I do for us to perform as promised and keep our customers happy. Computer stuff is so involved and is still pretty mysterious to most people, so the onus is really on us to be truly honest and upfront about every issue and situation. One of our core values is “Do The Right Thing Always (even if it hurts.)” Doing the right thing always must start with Aptica because trying to explain a network glitch we missed will always be harder.
“Embrace Change, Commit To Learning, Stay Involved”
In the world of InfoTech Managed Service, procedures and knowledge will change almost before you can spell the word. If the concept of “huh—imagine that” makes you frown, then working in IT is not for you. We do not get one day to feel smug and think we have seen it all. Honestly, some segments of everyday computer use and usefulness will change moment to moment. Managed Service Providers must be committed to learning and must stay involved. Our willingness to support the above core value has everything to do with the success and ongoing development of our customers’ businesses.
If The Core Is Solid, The Service Is Too
I am not being overly dramatic about working in Information Technology. If I didn’t have core values as my daily touchstone, it might be hard to hang on through our constant high winds of evolution. Aptica wants to be sure your technology is working for you so you can keep your focus on running your business. As long as our core values are solid, our service will be too. If you’d like to hear more, give us a call. We can give examples.
Jason Newburg, 260.243.5100, ext 2101, is the founder and owner of Aptica LLC. This IT management and support company has been serving small to medium-sized businesses for 19 years in the region that includes Angola, South Bend, and Fort Wayne, IN, Battle Creek, MI, and Toledo OH.