“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
—Aristotle
Jones & Henry’s purpose is to Conquer Water Challenges through Fluid thinking. By honoring our values of Professionalism, Relationships, and Opportunity, we sustain our team, clients, and profession. These benchmarks define the behaviors that reinforce our values and serve as our blueprint for excellence. By fostering a culture centered on these behaviors and continually revisiting them, excellence becomes a habit.
1. Deliver Exceptional Client Service.
Create client loyalty by going the extra mile. Treat every client interaction like your future depends on it (guess what it does). There is no better marketing for us than a satisfied loyal client. Our clients represent a diverse community of people who rely on our expertise to provide and treat water. Show them how much you value and appreciate them by taking the time to understand their needs and what success means to them.
2. Stay Curious.
Curiosity is your superpower. Seek to fully understand the problems you are working on and have a thorough understanding of the technologies you are using to solve them. Don’t take the attitude of “someone else understands it, I don’t have to.” Don’t assume you know everything because you have done it before. Clients and projects are unique. Technologies we use today will change over your career. You need to want to learn and adapt. Stay curious. You can be a superhero.
3. Be Ethical.
Our profession demands ethical behavior. Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing in every action and decision, especially when no one is looking. Be honest always. When mistakes are made, have the tough conversation, apologize and make it right. Avoiding or trying to hide mistakes only makes them worse. Being unethical is one of the surest ways to damage a client or personal relationship. Do the right thing always.
4. Make Quality Personal.
Take personal pride in the quality of everything you do. Make all your work your best. Your work product is branded by your name. Be proud of it.
5. Be Process Oriented.
World class engineering firms are built on a foundation of a highly effective and repeatable process. Look to create processes for every aspect of your work, and then turn those processes into habits to achieve exceptional results.
6. Create a Tone of Appreciation & Warmth.
Every conversation whether a phone call, email, letter, or voicemail sets a tone and creates a feeling. Pay attention to every interaction and be sure you are setting a tone of appreciation and warmth.
7. Be a Team Player.
Engineering is a team sport. It is not about you. Don’t let your ego or personal agenda hijack the team. Worrying about who gets credit or taking things personally is counterproductive. Make sure every decision is based on advancing the team as a whole.
8. Think Critically.
Don’t accept answers without question. Does the answer make sense to you? Does it make you uneasy? If so, there is likely a reason. Healthy debate and poking holes in your solutions creates better designs. Ask for a second opinion if you are stuck on a problem. You are paid to think. Do it well.
9. Honor Commitments.
There’s no better way to earn people’s trust than to be true to your word. Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it. Be on time, allow for the unexpected, and don’t make excuses.
10. Practice Blameless Problem Solving.
When faced with a problem, direct your energy and intelligence toward finding a solution rather than laying blame and developing excuses. After the issue is corrected, dissect the problem and use the lessons learned for improving our processes to prevent the mistake from happening again. The worst mistakes, by far, are the ones we repeat.
11. Listen with Intent to Understand.
Be present and engaged. Quiet the distractions of the moment and resist the temptation to agree or disagree. Allow others to express themselves without judgement. Listen to understand.
12. Communicate Plainly & Authentically.
Speak honestly in a way that moves action forward. Make clear and direct requests so that expectations are understood. Confirm understanding by asking the team to repeat your instructions. Say what you mean and be willing to ask questions, share ideas, or raise issues that may cause conflict when it is necessary for the team’s success. Address issues directly with those who are involved or affected.
13. Share Knowledge.
Share information and innovations freely. Ask yourself who else can benefit from this? Knowledge is one of our greatest assets. Find it, share it, and use it.
14. Drive to Completion.
Record a follow up date for every action and take responsibility to see that it gets completed. We get paid to complete projects, not to simply put them in motion. Results matter.
15. Be Resourceful & Show Initiative.
Take personal responsibility for making things happen – Find A Way. Respond to every situation by looking for how it can be done rather than why it can’t.
– Follow Up
– Be Organized
– Look Ahead and Anticipate
16. Express Gratitude.
Regularly extend meaningful acknowledgment and appreciation at all levels of Jones & Henry and to our clients and partners. Celebrate people doing things right. Listen and pay attention for the things that make people unique. Show people you care about them as individuals, rather than transactions.
17. Demand Improvement.
Consistently reevaluate every aspect of your job and your skills to find ways to improve. Don’t be satisfied with the status quo in yourself or our processes. “Because we’ve always done it that way” is not a reason. Keep getting better.
18. Pay Attention to the Details.
Be a fanatic about accuracy and precision in all aspects of your work. The details matter to our clients. Something as small as a well placed door or hose connection can make a difference in how our work is perceived. Think about how your design will be operated and maintained. Seemingly inconsequential items like poor grammar, misspelled words and names are noticed. Sweat the details.
19. Assume Positive Intent.
Work from the assumption that people are good, fair, and honest and that the intent behind their actions is positive. Give others the benefit of the doubt.
20. Act like a Professional.
Dress, speak, and act appropriately for the situation you are in. Your work may involve a variety of settings from construction site to office. Look and act the part.
21. Take Care of Yourself.
Don’t take things personally or take yourself too seriously. Make time to attend to your physical and mental health. Enjoy and support your family, friends and community. Everyone has a personal journey outside of work. Enjoy it.
