Part 14: Mission Alone Cannot Move an Organization - It is 'Values' That Support Daily Decisions and Drive the Organization

Chapter 1: Mission Alone Cannot Move an Organization

Last time, I wrote that 'Why is the philosophy.'

However, an organization cannot be moved by philosophy alone.

A Mission (purpose/reason for existence) shows us why we exist.

But work is a accumulation of daily 'decisions'.

'Should I prioritize sales first?'

'Should I spend time for the customer?'

'Should I proceed on my own, or consult with those around me?'

A Mission shows us the direction we should head in.

However, it does not tell us what kind of decisions to make along the way.

The criteria for those decisions are 'Values'.

This time, I would like to talk about 'what Values are' while introducing the Mission and Values I actually upheld when I was in charge of the Public Relations and Sales Promotion Department at my previous job, a real estate company specializing in residential housing.

Chapter 2: The Mission of 'Creating Fans'

Actually, this Mission of 'creating fans' was not something I thought of at my previous residential housing company.

Even before that, when I was in charge of advertising and public relations at a temporary staffing agency, my president and supervisor said these words to me:

'Fujita-san, I want you to create fans for our company.'

At the time, I honestly did not really understand what it meant to 'create fans'.

However, as I continued my work in advertising and public relations, I arrived at one answer.

If the number of fans increases, the company's brand awareness rises.

If brand awareness rises, the number of inquiries increases.

As the number of inquiries increases, so do sales opportunities.

In other words, the work of advertising and public relations is to increase the number of fans for the company, and as a result, lead to the company's growth.

That is why, when I was put in charge of the PR and Sales Promotion Department at my previous job, I set the
Mission as “creating fans.”

However, daily work cannot be driven by Mission alone.

That is why we established five Values.

Chapter 3: The 'Pride' and 'Gratitude' That Formed the Foundation of Our Values

Before deciding on our Mission and Values, there were two concepts that we held most dear.

They were,

“Pride” and “Gratitude.”

Pride means,

“My work supports this company.”

having that sense of pride.

Gratitude is,

“My work is only possible because of the work of others.”

the feeling of being grateful.

The president at the time often used to say these words:

“You don't need a blade to kill sales. You just need to stop giving them inquiries.”

It is a slightly extreme expression, but it was a statement that hit the essence of the matter.

Sales for residential housing and land developments are based on responding to inquiries, not cold calling.

Without inquiries, sales staff cannot even demonstrate their capabilities.

The KPI for our Public Relations and Sales Promotion Department was the 'number of inquiries'.

Not sales.

Creating the 'seeds' to make the flower of sales bloom was our role.

That is why we took great pride in our work.

However, it is the sales team that nurtures those seeds, the design team that designs the houses, and the construction team that builds them.

We cannot deliver value to customers on our own.

That is precisely why we needed both pride in our own work and gratitude toward other departments.

Both were necessary.

Chapter 4: The 5 Values We Upheld

The Values we upheld were the following five.

1. No results without action

There is a saying: 'If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub.'

However, that is a bit difficult to grasp.

So, we replaced it with the phrase,

'No results without action'

.

In fact, there was a time when the last lot in a subdivision was not selling, so we created a flyer for distribution.

However, an application came in two days before that flyer reached each household.

At another model house, we conducted a live room tour stream on Instagram.

A few days later, we received an inquiry that led to a contract.

However, that customer had not actually watched the live stream.

Of course, we cannot say for certain that it was the direct cause.

However, one thing is certain.

If we had not taken action, that result would never have been achieved.

Try it first.

That is our first Value.

2. Partnering with Collaborating Companies

Advertising agencies, real estate portal management companies, and social media management companies.

We have never once thought of our collaborating companies as 'subcontractors'.

This is because they are partners who possess specialized knowledge that we do not have.

That is precisely why,

'If the professionals say so, let's try it honestly first.'

We valued that kind of attitude.

3. Customize After Thoroughly Copying

I have also known the term 'TTP (Thoroughly Copying)' for a long time.

However, I had always wondered, 'Is it enough to just copy?'

But, in a post from an osteopathic clinic, I saw,

'Customize after thoroughly copying'

When I saw those words, everything made sense.

Learn from success stories,

adapt them to your own company,

and evolve them further.

That is what true learning is.

4. Clean sites, accurate and prompt information dissemination

What if a company's website is beautiful and provides plenty of information, but the actual housing development site is overgrown with weeds, and the banners are left dirty and torn?

Surely, customers would think,

'This company is not well-managed.'

That is the impression they would have.

Both information and the physical site are the face of the company.

That is why we

'Clean sites, accurate and prompt information dissemination'

held up as a Value.

5. Report bad news even faster

I touched on this Value briefly in Part 10 as well.

However, this does not just mean major troubles.

For example,

'The grass at Development Site A is growing quite long.'

'A refrigerator has been illegally dumped at Development Site B.'

I would sometimes receive such reports from my subordinates.

I immediately shared them with the sales and construction departments and requested that they handle the mowing or removal.

What would have happened if I had just left it alone,

thinking,

'Someone will do it eventually'?

Customers coming to see the subdivision might have gotten the impression that,

'This is a company that does not maintain its properties well.'

That might be the impression they would have.

Sharing small concerns quickly is also a way to protect the company's reputation.

Chapter 5: Values Also Develop People

There was a subordinate who embodied these five values the most.

She initially joined the company as a part-time employee.

In fact, it was her mother who first became interested in the job opening.

However,

'I am better suited for this job.'

That is what she said when she applied.

After explaining the job details during the interview,

'What did you think?'

I asked, and the answer that came back was,

“That sounds fun!”

That was it.

That single phrase was the deciding factor in her hiring.

After joining the company, she began by taking on challenges that she could handle herself.

Since she had a small child, she was interested in the topic and planned a series introducing parks in Higashiosaka City that did not require photography permits.

Later, the editor-in-chief of a local information site in the same Higashiosaka area told her,

“I absolutely love that park series.”

It was a delightful compliment to receive.

Furthermore, she mastered Canva to take on the creation of flyers, which had previously been outsourced.

She became capable of handling not only flyers but also Instagram post creation.

I call this attitude

“Enlarge-oriented.”

It is a mindset of not being satisfied with just what you can do now, but gradually expanding what you are capable of.

I believe that is why she became a full-time employee.

What the company was looking at was

not just

“What can this person do?”

but rather

“What kind of values does this person bring to their work?”

That was it.

Chapter 6: Values Are Necessary for Every Department

The Mission indicates the direction the organization is aiming for.

However, it does not tell you how to make daily decisions.

That is why Values are necessary.

Currently, at my new company, I am working on:

Improving SUUMO,

Developing a database of surrounding facilities,

Building a CRM,

And creating sales dashboards.

My job responsibilities have expanded significantly compared to before.

However, my decision-making criteria have not changed.

'Take action first.'

'Seek help from experts.'

'Learn from good examples and improve them for our own company.'

'Communicate information accurately and promptly.'

'Share problems early.'

Because these Values exist, I can make decisions without hesitation even when my work changes.

Values are not just for public relations or sales promotion departments.

They exist for sales, design, construction, and general affairs as well.

Of course, this is not limited to companies.

It exists in families, schools, and sports teams as well.

It is precisely because people have common criteria for judgment that they can move in the same direction without hesitation.