The Golden Rule


The Golden Rule – It Still Applies!

by: Charles Black, CEO of RES

My daughter came home from kindergarten yesterday and, like most good fathers, I asked about her favorite parts of the day.  In addition to her go-to staples of Recess, Lunch, and Art Class that always make the list, she mentioned they had spent time learning and understanding “The Golden Rule”: “Treating others as you would want to be treated.”

My first thought was – The Golden Rule – now that is an old notion!  But, when you think about it, what a powerful and still highly relevant idea.  Not only does every kindergarten student need to know and follow the Golden Rule, every adult should too!  Think of what the world would look like if we followed this simple rule – bullying would be eliminated, the need for lawyers would be greatly reduced, and society in general would be lifted.  It’s on par with the Pursuit for World Peace – meaning it won’t happen anytime soon – but that shouldn’t stop us from doing our own part.

At RES, we follow the Golden Rule – it’s our simple navigating compass in the sea of decisions and choices we make daily.  At the end of our marketing materials, we always list a few of the rules we live by:

  • Always do what is right, period.
  • Put our existing clients and our own team members first.
  • Tailor our solutions to fit our client’s needs, not the other way around.
  • Be a trusted advisor and operate with a customer-first mentality.
  • Tackle the big problems, where you can truly make a difference.

In day-to-day life, the Golden Rule takes form in diverse ways at RES.  Here are some examples from the past few weeks:

Example 1: On a recent STRATUS: Ambulatory Network Planning demo, one of our prospectiveclients asked: “What fees will be charged for software activation, training, periodic data uploads and refreshes, and general support?”  Some organizations would see these as “Incremental Revenue”.  At RES, we see these as “Nickle and Diming” – a short term mentality that quickly leads to unsatisfied clients – we would rather keep happy clients for the long term.

So, our answer to their question is simple: “None”.  When you sign up with RES, we are arming you with the data-driven tools and confidence to make the best decision possible and are on-call as needed.  We want to be our client’s Trusted Advisor in all things Predictive Analytics and Site/Network Planning – and therefore are willing and available to do what it takes to make sure our clients succeed long after the delivery date.  It’s just the right thing to do.

Example 2: We work in a lot of “hot” markets across the country and therefore the idea of Exclusivity comes up quite a bit.  A few weeks ago, a prospective client asked us: “If RES does work with us, what happens when a competitor in our market approaches you?”  On one hand, our solutions are objective, and data driven – no strategy will ever be the same.  And of course, RES has to be able to work with a lot of clients across the country to help more and more organizations make great data-driven decisions.  But, it’s a real sensitivity for a lot of organizations and the question is often asked.

Luckily, the Golden Rule provides the easy button solution.  If we already have a client in the market, we disclose the service overlap with both our existing and prospective clients.  If both have no issue, we move forward.  If either disapprove, we do the right thing and stand by our existing clients.  It’s simply how we would want to be treated.

If you have a need for our services and like working with firms who believe in doing what is right, let’s connect.  If you are a service provider who also follows “The Golden Rule” in one of the industries in which we operate – Healthcare, Retail, Predictive Analytics – and provide a valuable service, we’d love to learn more about what you do so we can connect you if a client need arises.

Above all, take time to think about The Golden Rule and follow it daily in both your personal and professional life – it still applies!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charles has a passion for helping clients become more strategic. With vast expertise in the Healthcare, Financial Services, Retail, Oil & Gas, and Wholesale industries, Charles has partnered with hundreds of organizations to leverage the power of data and analytics to create innovative business and real estate strategies that transform portfolios and enable core business success.
For more information, please contact: charles.black@restrategies.com