Don Soderquist Quotes

Values identify what you stand for. In a sense, these values are the very foundation of your culture, those basic principles on which you are unwilling to compromise. It is extremely important that the values in any organization be clearly articulated for and understood by everyone in that organization.

Listen. Listening is one of those dynamics that sounds like the easiest thing in the world to do, but in reality is one of the hardest.

Customer loyalty doesn't just happen; you have to work on it every day. It isn't only big things; it's a lot of the little things done over and over again. Over time, these little things demonstrate to your customers that you really do care about them and are genuinely interested in satisfying them. It is important to understand that you don't do it only to increase sales, you do it because it's the right thing to do.

The way a new leader acts early in his or her job will show what kind of person he or she is. During that time frame, everyone develops their own long-lasting perception. And those perceptions—hard to change—determine how they respond to the new leadership long into the future.

We not only worked hard—but we had a lot of fun doing it. We never saw the dynamics of work and fun as incompatible. If you're going to spend a large percentage of your waking hours at work, why not enjoy it?

I believe there are hundreds and thousands of stories just waiting to be written by organizations and companies who have leaders that inspire people to accomplish things that seem impossible. The only way that can happen, though, is if the leader believes it is possible—has even a mustard seed of faith—and can convince his people that the seemingly impossible is indeed possible.

We as leaders, ought to model integrity every day. It starts with how we handle the dilemmas that may seem small. Your decisions and actions set the tone for the culture and reinforce the expectation of others.

I've come to realize that beliefs and values together determine how a company operates and whether it reaches its full potential.

Do things right the first time. If you don't have time to do a job once, you certainly don't have time to do it again.