At 15 years of leading OWC, I know the best indicator of a company’s future success is its people. Hiring the right individuals for the job is step one. Getting everyone to work together aligned to the mission to deliver high quality work and meet revenue goals is all the rest. OWC established a set of core values, a company constitution, if you will, to ensure success for clients and ourselves as a company and as individuals. We’ve all agreed to work by them, and they’re not just words. Employee reviews are based on how their work reflects core values. We share our values with our clients, and they are often cited in the hue and cry of decision-making in our own conference room.
We celebrate this anniversary with a review by the long-time team members who deliver public relations, reputation management and crisis communications:
Radical Candor and Transparency – “Coming from big box PR agencies, my favorite core value is radical candor, which is the opposite of those firms. We are committed to honest feedback, transparent billing and upfront insights. We often joke that we are not the ‘nice guy PR agency’ because we always will tell you the truth – good and bad.” — Wes Robinson, 5 years with OWC
Embrace Failure – “Embracing failure spoke to me when I first joined OWC. I used to fear it – especially when I was new to agency life. OWC helped me understand we learn from failure, then quickly reset. Openly addressing roadblocks leads to innovative ways to overcome and propel forward. Now, I understand that failure isn’t a problem. It’s a stepping stone to success.” — Samantha Short, 4 years with OWC
Entrepreneurial Thinking – “Our team is driven to continuously innovate. We conduct no-holds-barred brainstorms, which often get pretty loud. Fear is an entrepreneur’s friend. It makes for questions that distill thinking and lead to improvements simple and radical.” — Tracy Williams, founder
Nimble – “We stand ready to pivot because change is the one constant. We embrace the change, think on our feet, adapt and seize opportunities.” — Tiffany Rodriguez, 2 years with OWC
Leading with a Servant’s Heart – “It means listening and encouraging, not dictating and micromanaging. Our CEO wants to know what we think, all the time. She asks that we do the same with clients and media. We ask ourselves how we can better serve our clients, each other, and, of course, the media.” — Paulo Acuna, 7 years with OWC
One Team – “Many companies list teamwork as one of their core values, but I have never felt or lived it as I have at OWC. Everyone, starting with Tracy, is eager and happy to step in and help when they are needed without hesitation. It’s impressive watching this team strategize and work together, regardless of your background.” — Phyllis Wade, 8 years with OWC
Tonight, we all head out to Lulu’s, Alice Waters’ restaurant in the newly renovated Hammer Museum across the street from our Westwood office, to raise a glass to the future, yours and ours.
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