Letter on the Third — September 2023

Dear Datamax Family,

I say it often, but people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

In this month’s Rave Review, we’re discussing KPIs — not Key Performance Indicators, which are often used to measure performance over time for specific objectives quantifiably. We’re talking about Key People Indicators. In other words, how do we measure the effectiveness of our culture? After all, culture is not just about the bottom line. It’s about the overall well-being of not just our company, but of our people.

Here are a few ways we work to ensure strong, culture-based KPIs.

The Little Blue Book: People to People.

The opening header on page 20 says just that: “People to People.” The Little Blue Book is the starting point, it’s our cultural statement.  Just as it says on page 2, “from philosophy to positioning to principles, The Datamax Little Blue Book reflects our culture and our commitment to a unified mission – Creating Raving Fans.”  That book is our culture. That’s us. But we’ve got to do more than read it or say it, we’ve got to live it.

The Success Profile: Setting People Up for Success.

When you were hired, you should have received a success profile that outlines the specifics of your role and spells out what it will take for you to succeed. This document should be drafted and monitored with the right person, in the right job, and with the right manager. That Success Profile may be different for a person in Little Rock than one in Texarkana or Lufkin because not all marketplaces are the same. However, when you’ve got the right person in that right position with the right manager, you’re going to win.

Mutual Commitments: Earning Peoples’ Trust.

There are many ways we can gauge our cultural health as an organization, but a lot of it comes down to trust. Do our people trust us as managers and as leaders? The Mutual Commitment serves as a golden opportunity for managers to meet with their employees, communicate openly, and stay ahead of any issues, shortcomings, or misunderstandings. Obviously, we don’t want anyone to leave, but there should never be any surprises for either party if someone leaves our company.

I believe strongly that the foundation of every successful business is a strong company culture. But we can’t just say it. We have to live it. The KPI examples below are just a few elements of that foundation. Datamax is a company that operates people-to-people. We understand that our people are our greatest asset, and we do care deeply about your success.  That’s us. That’s our culture.

The Best is Yet to Be.