Values

The purpose of stating our values is to commit to a way of being. In writing. Many companies have a lot of generic values that can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Our approach is to be specific and true. Our values should create a framework for decision making and for a way of working and thinking. Every decision we make, every action we take should be consistent with our values.

TAKE CARE OF OUR CLIENTS & PARTNERS

First and foremost, we exist to take care of our clients and partners. “Taking care” is both specific and non-specific.  It doesn’t tell us exactly what to do, but yet, it does.  Did we respond quickly? Did we solve the client’s problem? Did we present the client with a clear and concise explanation? Did we provide value in what we did? If we ask the client after any interaction, “Did we take care of you?, what will they say?

SPEED

There is nothing more impressive than speed. Speed in responding to an email.  Speed in solving a problem. Speed in responding to a phone call. Speed is often equated with intelligence, competence, and confidence.  And for good reason.  Being able to react or respond quickly makes the other person feel important and feel like they’re in good hands. Think about how you feel at the supermarket, at the bank, at the DMV, when you call the phone company, etc. when they make you wait and wait for whatever it is you want. Now think about how you feel when they move you through the line quickly. Is there a difference? Do you have a different feeling about the people who get you through things quickly?  Everyone does. We need to be speedy. Above all.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

People are told “no” all the time. They’re told “it can’t be done” all the time. Let’s not be those guys. Let’s be the “anything is possible” people. Naturally, there’s a time element and a cost to doing “anything”. But when someone asks you if something can be done, they’re not asking (yet) about how long it will take or what it will cost. They’re just asking if we can do it. The answer is always YES. When considering a client’s request, always start from a place of “how can we do that?”   Rather than starting with “The software doesn’t do that”. The issue is not whether the software can do something. The question is can FBSG do it. In almost every case, the answer is YES.

SUPPORT THE TEAM

At FBSG, none of us work in a vacuum. We work with other people, and other people work with us and the work we’ve done. There is little that is more frustrating than being asked to provide support on a project after the fact, but then having no idea what’s happened with the project to date. Supporting the team involves a lot of communication and a lot of documentation, which are two things that don’t necessarily come naturally to all of us. The idea is, as we’re doing our work, we need a little voice in the back of our head that says “what if someone else needs to take over on this next week?” What would they need to know to be able to pick up the ball and run with it? What should I write down? Where should I write it? In what format?

FISCAL INTELLIGENCE

“Fiscal” is another word for “financial”. “Fiscal Intelligence” means spend money wisely. At FBSG, we recognize that it’s a different world today than it was before the economic crisis hit us in late 2008. We need to be financially intelligent. We need to make intelligent decisions. We need to keep overhead and fixed costs as low as possible, so we have as much financial flexibility as possible to be able to provide the best possible service to our clients. We need to make investments in people and technology that make sense. All of us need to be aware of this and keep it in mind.

GROWTH

We value growth at FBSG. We value personal growth, professional growth, company growth, and spiritual growth. This means we support training, learning, and education in as many areas as possible. We have an interest and curiosity in learning NEW things and seeing how they may help us serve our clients and ourselves.

OPTIMISM & PASSION

We are passionate about technology and more specifically the technology we implement. We recognize that software isn’t perfect, but software is created by people and people aren’t perfect. We’re unfailingly optimistic (with a sense of humor) about everything we do and the world at large. We believe with our passion, our optimism, and our sense of humor we can resolve nearly any issue for our clients.  In addition, infusing each day with passion, optimism, and humor can’t help but make the world a better place.