This morning I received an email with the subject line, “Final Week.” My mind instantly jumped to two possible scenarios, both negative. Did we just lose a key manager? Did a customer terminate our agreement? Much to my delight, it was neither. In fact, it was something I was not expecting from a cleaner I had never met working at a jobsite I’ve never visited. After reading what Patrick wrote, I could not be more proud of my company.
More than ever, I am convinced that building a unique and impactful company culture is the primary job of leadership. Everything flows from here. This is especially true in the janitorial industry, where most of our team members work remotely and rarely have contact with corporate leadership. However, the task has always seemed so daunting. How can I foster a unique “feel” throughout the organization when we have 450 people spread across four states? Well, don’t be dismayed, because it can be done, and it starts with a conviction and clear vision of what your organization should look like.
At Frantz Building Services, we want a culture that embodies three things:
- Passionately and with excellence serving others (customers and each other)
- Genuinely caring for people
- Doing everything with the utmost integrity
We talk about this in our meetings. We write about it in our newsletters. We teach on it at training sessions. We screen for it during interviews. We are committed to living it out.
Do we fail? You bet! Could we do better? Yes! Do we have a long way to go? Absolutely!
But when we get letters like this from Patrick, who works at a dirty, nasty factory, it gives you hope that change is happening. We must keep pressing on and fighting the good fight of positively shaping our company culture. Be encouraged! Your hard work will pay off. Your people and your customers will be better off. And your company will thrive.
Enjoy these heartfelt (and grammatically incorrect) words from a cleaner, and remember that what you do matters.
“This week is going to be my final week working for Frantz. This company has shown me a lot and tought me a lot about being a family with all of you. This company has been the best place to work i ever ever had the privlage to work for. No company will ever be able to show the support and love that everyone here has to me. I have met a lot of differnt people working here and all of you have been so nice and helpful with any questions i have had. I truly regreat having to leave this company and all of you but its whats best for my family and the new baby (on way lol). When my baby gets born and older i will tell her about the best place i ever worked and she should strive to work for a company just like this one. With all of you working here this company will grow and become one of the biggest and strongest companys around the U.S. I will truly miss all of you God bless all of you and i hope everything goes well for this company.”
