ZSuite Tech is a company in the truest sense of the word in that we create value for our clients that they’re willing to pay for. We also believe we’ll deliver extraordinary results if every employee is aligned with the same operating philosophy. Every company has one; sometimes it’s implied, sometimes it’s explicit, but it always shows up in their results and reputation.
Our operating philosophy is built on four primary values. We refer to them as “ZValues,” and each ZValue is represented by a symbol and a season of the year. You can read about all four ZValues here.
For us, the fall season is associated with the ZValue of “Serve” and the symbol of the honeybee. As we head into the American Thanksgiving holiday, we thought it was appropriate to talk about how this value connects to this season for our company.
Commonly in the United States, Thanksgiving Day is a moment to gather with family (by blood or choice) and feast. It’s also marked by public expressions of gratitude (as well as football games, food comas, and retail bargains).
You might wonder, “How does service connect to gratitude and Thanksgiving?”
For ZSuite employees, we’re constantly looking for ways to serve our partners, their clients, our team members, the company, our shareholders, and ourselves. This is the first subcomponent, and it means that we’re looking at our work holistically through the lens of each stakeholder.
For us, service is more than an unreciprocated offering of value. It’s a mindset that says, “I’m going to look for ways to improve this experience.” Do we work for free? No. But we definitely look for opportunities to exceed expectations. That’s where “words and actions” come in – the second subcomponent. We use words to create expectations around our work and then follow through by acting in ways that go beyond them.
If our service was just built on a motto or mindless action, it wouldn’t go very far. The third subcomponent addresses the need for understanding. We believe that each employee should take the time to listen deeply to what others are saying. This deep listening allows us to connect with people and take meaningful action that benefits others.
The fourth subcomponent ties the whole value together: Empathize first, then love and serve. We cultivate the skill of empathy when we imagine how other people feel.
If you follow the thread, it looks something like this:
- You start with a posture that is willing to sacrifice short-term comfort for long-term gain.
- You show that willingness through words and actions.
- You direct your words and actions by listening deeply to what other people are saying, verbally and non-verbally.
- Once you’ve deeply listened to the other person, you imagine how they feel in the situation, accept their situation with love, and then serve them with actions based on that empathy.
Ok. That was a bit of a detour from gratitude, but it set the stage. It’s impossible to joyfully live out the Serve value without being grateful for what you already have. It’s from a foundation of gratitude that we can truly serve.
So, whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving or not this week, we’d like to invite you to reflect for a moment on the things that you are grateful for in your life and the ways you can contribute to others’ lives through service.
