The Spirits of New Kind
The New Kind of company values
Why spirits?
Values can be a challenging beast. When done well, they provide a deep well of inspiration and a way to achieve true cultural alignment. But in the wrong hands, they are simply Successories hung in the hallways.
But even in companies that take their values seriously, the words themselves are often repeated from organization to organization, and it is hard to sustain their meaning and differentiation as an organization grows. How many times have you seen words like innovation, reliability, honesty, teamwork, and integrity show up in corporate values?
We had the idea to do a little experiment. If we were to take a New Kind of approach to organizational values, what might we do differently? How might we we communicate our core beliefs in a fresh way?
We stumbled upon one idea that felt right. Rather than articulate traditional values, we decided to conjure a set of spirits that we could invoke in our work, spirits that could be summoned to guide us, motivate us, and keep us on the right path.
Working from the definition below, if a spirit represents the soul of the company, the seat of its emotions and character, what spirits would make up the nonphysical part of New Kind?
Here are the spirits that have emerged from our internal conversations.
Spirit: The nonphysical part of a person that is the seat of emotions and character; the soul.
Catalyst: We act as catalysts to form ideas with intent
We design. We communicate. We collaborate. We use these abilities to create the spark for our clients to explore new possibilities and create new opportunities.
Being a part of New Kind means committing to inspiring and rejuvenating those around you. Bringing new ideas and approaches to challenge the old.
When we invoke the Catalyst spirit for our clients:
We are personally invested in our clients success as they’ve personally invested in us. We bring out the best in our clients and each other. When a solution isn’t working, we all get to work on an answer.
When we invoke the Catalyst spirit for New Kind:
We celebrate effort and positive failures. Everyone is entrepreneurial. We all assume responsibility to grow the business. When we don’t know, we learn. Then we teach.
Sherpa: We act as sherpas to guide with humility.
When it comes to building brands, climbing a mountain is a useful metaphor. Our customers and their communities already have the creativity and energy they need within them. We join the journey as their partner. We share the climb and shoulder the load — including for each other.
The climb isn’t easy, but we know the way. And when we succeed, we all share the view from the top.
When we invoke the Sherpa spirit for our clients:
We are humble, hardworking, hero makers. We win when our clients win. We venture bravely and confidently for our clients. Preparing them for every next step. We work collaboratively and openly, even when it’s the harder path.
When we invoke the Sherpa spirit for New Kind:
We are sherpas for each other — sharing, protecting, celebrating our best ideas and energy. When a New Kinder is overburdened, we step in to lighten their load. As the African proverb says, we go faster alone but farther together.
Citizen: We act as citizens who believe in what we put into the world
The relationship we have with clients goes beyond a business relationship. We seek to become citizens of the communities we serve. We all understand that we’re not simply building brands or creating campaigns.
We’re helping clients shape their future — and impacting the lives of the people they serve. A citizen takes on these challenges as their own.
When we invoke the Citizen spirit for our clients:
We know our client relationships are more than transactions. We hold keys to their future. We never take for granted the faith and trust our clients put in us. When we’re faced with daily challenges of client work, we don’t forget our purpose — and theirs.
When we invoke the Citizen spirit for New Kind:
We are each citizens of New Kind, responsible for our success, shaping our future. Like citizens of all physical communities — we work, play, celebrate, and share here, together. We work to overcome our own challenges with honesty, openness, and positive determination.
