Every group has certain norms and behaviors that guide its actions and help define that group. So what exactly does this mean? In the book “Explaining Norms”, the authors state “Norms are ubiquitous in social life. Every time we enter a room, open our mouths to speak, walk down the street, conduct a meeting, play a game of cards, write an email, or wage a war, norms are in play.” Quite often these norms develop over time and are largely unspoken. There is, however, real value in putting forth a concerted effort to identify, validate, and celebrate the norms of a successful organization.
Norm noun: “…a principle of right action binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior.”
Merriam-Webster
The SEI Boston team recently spent some time together to do just that – talking about the norms that we feel define us as an organization and contribute to our success. We realized that the norms we value, simply put, are in support of our goal to be the first choice for prospective candidates, clients, and our own consultants. The output of our discussion was not only inspiring to the whole team, but serves as a great introduction for potential candidates as they consider a career with SEI. We distilled the most important norms down to six key areas, as follows:
Think Like an Owner: SEI is proud of our unique employee ownership model. We are keenly aware that building a business takes grit and determination; we never take our foot off the gas. When we think as owners, we share goals to deepen our relationships with clients and use our shared network to grow our business. Activities such as business development and recruiting are shared across consultants as part of our flat organizational structure. Who knows better what our clients need than those who have been working side by side with them on their most strategic projects?
Be an Advocate: Whether you’ve been at SEI for 1 day, 6 months, or 10 years…you come to work every day knowing that our team is an extension of your family – this company was built on the foundation that you will work alongside people you like, respect, and can count on. You are a voice in the process and your input is both appreciated and required. Our strength comes from our collaboration – “we” is always preferable to “I”.
Invest in Personal Growth: To spur continuous personal growth, SEI removes the red tape or barriers when it comes to putting ourselves out there – or as we affectionately call it: “playing in traffic”. It challenges us to connect with our clients, our network, each other, and our communities, to discover new opportunities and continuously grow our skills and experience. We’re in charge of our own careers, and have a wealth of resources both within and outside of SEI to augment the many sources of continuous learning. In the rapidly changing worlds of our clients, staying on top of the latest trends and technologies is required – and those of us drawn to SEI thrive on commitment to lifelong learning. That’s why we love consulting.
Stay Engaged: As employee-owners, our model is built on the knowledge that everyone here is ready and willing to go above and beyond – for our clients, for our business, and for each other. When we stay engaged, we learn, we build, we prosper, and we don’t worry about complacency.
Be a Connector: Collective value is at the heart of everything we do. At SEI we pride ourselves on being connectors – putting ourselves out there every day, actively listening, and knowing where to go to get the answers. Whether in support of our clients’ projects, our consultants’ development, or growing our business, we are always asking “How can I help?”
Be Aware – Be Present: In order to give 100% every day, we have to be aware and present always. Active listening is critical to understanding clients’ needs, and anticipating, addressing, and supporting evolving situations. It also ensures that we treat each other with the care and respect that is essential and required to maintain our unique culture.
At SEI, hard skills are table stakes – you get a seat at the interview table because of it. What sets our culture apart, is the level of trust and respect that we have for one another. We support each other locally and across all 8 offices nationwide. When we keep these norms and behaviors top of mind, we naturally build a first class organization, ready to tackle our clients’ thorniest challenges and most strategic initiatives right alongside them. Through peer accountability, we support, challenge, and inspire each other – dedicated to our shared goal – giving our clients access to a broad wealth of expertise in our collaborative culture.
One Culture, One Team: This is SEI and how we aim to standout as first choice among clients and employees.
