We asked members of the Office of the President what AH Core Values they related to the most. Here is Chief Operating Officer Lori Gordon's response. This is the final of a three part series.
Respect
One of my closest friends likes to say “always assume best intentions and you can always change your mind later!” We have many relationships throughout life, and it is important to create and maintain an awareness of the need to always be respectful so that we can approach each relationship with a productive state of mind.
The word respect has two generally accepted meanings: to be considerate of others and to hold someone in high esteem. At AH, we are committed to both meanings of the word. Respect has been a core value of the company from the beginning and is a foundational element of our long-term success.
To me, the ability to demonstrate respect starts with how we view ourselves. We must be able to practice self-respect in order to be respectful of others! We must be open to criticism and willing to learn from others, even when styles are dramatically different. We must resist being judgmental when confronted with something unfamiliar and instead focus on being curious.
At AH, respect is practiced on all levels: between team members, with our client partners, and with our suppliers and strategic business alliances. We maintain a high awareness of this core value because we know how powerful it is and we love to watch it multiply!
Innovation
At AH, we include innovation as a core value because we believe it is critical to our continued growth and success. Wikipedia defines innovation as “the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs.”
We know that we live in a world of constant change. As a result, we must always be seeking better solutions to meet new and changing requirements. The way we did something last year may no longer be the best way to do that same thing… we need to always be asking ourselves “is there a better way?”
Unarticulated needs are often the most satisfying to solve for innovative professionals. At AH, we thrive on listening to our client partners and our colleagues in order to identify needs that they may not have realized yet! Finding ways to better meet existing needs may be the most challenging aspect of innovation. It takes courage to try new things that may not be proven, and this is often the first step toward a break through solution.
Innovation is supported by collaboration and at AH we rely on our ability to collaborate effectively across teams within the company and with our outside strategic partners as well. We are often inspired by solutions developed by one team that are discovered to have multiple applications beyond the initial need!
Innovation is supported by high energy and a sense of urgency. We are motivated to create solutions quickly on behalf of our clients and our colleagues. We know that all will benefit by the resulting efficiency that comes from effective collaboration to drive constant innovation.
