The SIGMADESIGN core values are visible in every part of our office.

President’s Corner: Adaptable

 

Bill Huseby web

BILL HUSEBY, PRESIDENT & CEO

At SIGMADESIGN, we hold to six core values that I guarantee will never change. Though these values won’t change, one of the most important core values is the ability to change and be flexible: to adapt.

The very heart of our business is service. Service to our clients, our employees and our community…in a nutshell, service to people. And nothing is more unpredictable than people. So we are adaptable. A Google search will define Adaptable as, “able to adjust to new conditions” or “able to be modified for a new use or purpose.” For us, at SIGMADESIGN, adaptability is flexibility followed by positive adjustments when confronted with an unusual, unexpected or changing situation. This ability to adapt to a situation provides forward motion. It provides us a way to evolve and continually grow as a business.

What does it look like?

External Adaptability

Adaptability is crucial in all of our client relationships and so it is exhibited by each of our departments. For a Project Manager, being adaptable might mean they are willing to let their role in a project adapt to meet the client’s expectations. Some clients want our Project Managers to lead the entire effort while others want our Project Managers to be a part of their team and work under their Project Manager. Each client is different, so our team has learned to work in a variety of ways in order to meet the client’s expectations, whatever those may be.

Being adaptable is the trait that advances us and builds a bridge to a new opportunity. Sometimes this takes the form of searching for new talent or bringing a new capability in-house. Or it might mean adapting to the client’s confidentiality requirements and dedicating entire rooms or buildings to highly secretive projects.

As you can imagine, projects go through quite a bit of change in the product development process. Sometimes our client needs to adjust a timeline or add an additional function to a product. This requires our engineers and designers to readjust their project schedules but it also effects other departments as well. Schedules are altered, workloads shared, and resource availability and shipments adjusted, etc. It’s easy to see why it is crucial to exhibit an adaptable attitude. When a client needs to make a change on a project, every department adjusts in order to keep that project moving forward.

Internal Adaptability

Not only is an adaptable attitude valuable to our clients, it is also beneficial internally. Again, we serve people, who are all unique. A good director or manager will understand the individuals on their team, be aware of their needs, and know what will bring out the best in those individual team members. We work with individuals in a way that will make them flourish. Because when individuals are successful and developing professionally, SIGMADESIGN is successful and growing as well.

The SIGMADESIGN core values are visible in every part of our office.

The SIGMADESIGN core values are visible in every part of our office.

At SIGMADESIGN being adaptable also means we are willing to help even when it is outside of our job description in order to serve a bigger cause. It could mean an Assembly Technician helping the Shipping department get product packaged and shipped on time. It could mean a Manager grilling burgers for a neighborhood event. Whatever the situation, our core values shine through and employees are willing to be adaptable to do whatever they can to say “Yes” as needed.

Culture of Adaptability

Being adaptable is part of our culture that starts at the top. I personally believe in, embrace, and exhibit adaptability every day because I know that being adaptable has provided the impetus to keep SIGMADESIGN growing. Perhaps a meeting needs to adjust in its focus. Perhaps a project requires additional capabilities and we need to go find new talent. Whatever it is, I adapt. This sets the tone for the employees at SIGMADESIGN, which sets the course for the entire company. We’re aimed at improving and evolving; being adaptable is one of the primary ways we get there. And though being adaptable in itself is the ability to change, this is the one Core Value that will never change.