Author Stephan Covey once said, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” He is also the same man who presented the world with his seven habits of highly effective people. They are as follows:
o Be Proactive
o Begin with the End in Mind
o Put First Things First
o Think Win-Win
o Seek to Understand, Then be Understood
o Synergize
o Sharpen the Saw
As we see it, Mr. Covey is absolutely correct in defining his habits of being highly effective and today we want to relate them to our company’s diversity. So, here are seven habits of how Plymouth Foam is a highly effective company.
o Be proactive. In recent blogs you may have taken notice to our consistent message of what the definition of being proactive truly is defined as: controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened. That’s why we take a business focused standpoint; being open to how we have done things in the past and what opportunities are available to move forward with future products.
o Begin with the end in mind. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail, right? This is the reason we ask questions relating the product; to find which material best suites your needs. Even if that material may not exist; a unique item can be fabricated that can be aesthetically pleasing, flexible, recyclable, provide protection or be an insulator to cold chain packaging.
o Put first things first. Why do you need us in the first place? Education on our products is a key factor in uncovering what you truly need. The questions we receive most about our products are relative to cold chain packaging (cooler size, wall thickness, live cultures versus pharmaceuticals, life sciences, food, insulated shipping containers, etc.), point of purchase displays and protective packaging (soft foam, rigid foam, etc.).
o Think win-win. Your success is our success. We offer turnkey solutions in many situations. What does that mean exactly? Our ability to be a ‘one stop shop’. From product design and development to our molding and fabricating capabilities to product assembly, our success lies within the ability to find unusual intersections in materials to produce solutions that are not industry standard.
o Seek to understand, then be understood. We might be (a little) biased, but we think this is one of our best qualities. Sometimes our customers have no idea what they hope to achieve, others may have a concept in mind. Others bring in the product and let us find the solution to how it will pass the intended requirements. This all involves both listening and hearing skills as part of the process when arriving to a successful final product.
o Synergize. We feel the most effective projects are the ones done in a collaborative setting. Whether it is with our design team or working directly with your associates, it can be assured that we can help you define what you need; presented with multiple solutions.
o Sharpen the saw. This is defined as: preserving the greatest asset you have – you. We invest in our associates’ health and well-being through health coaches, on site clinics and wellness programs. When our workforce is highly effective and performs at maximum potential…well, see bullet point four.
We like to think the habits of highly effective people can relate directly to our associates and their thought process. Whether we seek to understand, then be understood, synergize or begin with the end in mind, you, as the customers, are our main focus. We hope you consider the strengths presented when considering the diverse portfolio of Plymouth Foam products.
