A business without core values or an established culture isn’t really a business. 

How else can you ensure all of your employees have the same vision and goals for your company as you do? Core values shape your company’s culture and allow you to build great teams while delivering an excellent product and top notch customer service. 

At The Barn Store, we have established culture values in place that we operate by daily and hang in our office as a visual reminder of what our purpose is. Our ultimate goal is to build a legacy— it’s WHY we work, and it holds us accountable to be the best at what we do. 

Our culture values work great for our business, but I think many of them can also be applied towards life in general. I’m always happy to share some positive motivation with anyone that will listen: 

Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is Fast

The "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" concept likely has its origins in the Military. Within that context, moving fast (or rushing it) is reckless and can potentially be fatal. However, if you move slowly (carefully and deliberately), you're actually moving as fast as you can without needlessly increasing the risk of small mistakes that can cost you big time. This is to build the habit of slowing down enough to be deliberate about solving problems... not to rush into something without thinking it through.

Talk to me Goose

This phrase is used to encourage communication. Honest communication. Accurate communication. Heck, even over-communication is preferred to withholding information. We aren't mind readers.

Make Someone's Job Easier

Making your co-workers’ jobs easier isn’t about doing their work for them or telling them how to perform their duties. This is a statement of personal responsibility. I am going to do everything I can to make the person downstream of my work successful by doing my work to the best of my ability. Before you blame... be sure that you are doing everything in your power to make things work smoothly for the people you work with.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

We are not the type of people to live in the past.... we are forward thinking and solution driven. Whatever happened, is. We move forward with the challenge of creating solutions that keep us from making the same mistakes. We will choose to take responsibility instead of blaming. Blaming pushes the solution onto someone else. Responsibility takes ownership.

+ > -

Positivity is Greater than Negativity. Being positive isn't going to guarantee that you succeed. However, being negative will guarantee that you fail. And... chances are, you are taking other people with you whatever direction you go.

Ultimately, these values have allowed us to establish strong teams and pursue our goal of building a legacy within the barn building realm. They have made all of us here at The Barn Store better communicators, more efficient workers, better teammates, and they have helped us develop better attitudes about work and life. 

Check out The Barn Store’s Facebook page to updates about what they have been up to lately.

About the Expert:

Austin Christian lives in Gallatin, TN and is a fourth generation barn builder and owner of The Barn Store and The Barn Depot. He studied Business Entrepreneurship at University of Tennessee Chattanooga. The Barn Store is licensed, bonded, insured, and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. 

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