Think of your business as a tree. As it scales, the roots and the trunk must stay strong, and business values are an essential part of that strong foundation.
getty
I like to think of a business as a tree. The most important components are the roots, the trunk, and a few main branches. The leaves can come and go, but the roots and the trunk must stay strong. Your business values are an essential part of that strong base—and it’s important that they are able to scale with your business as it grows, or you risk a weakening foundation.
When I was running a single medical laboratory, it was easy to standardize everything, from how we operated to how we approached each patient. I was in every room, taking part in every decision. But as the company grew, I realized I needed to build systems that could scale those operations and values without me having to be in the room. That’s when the real challenge began.
As my healthcare company grew, I wanted to ensure that patients would be satisfied seeing any of our doctors—not just me. It’s like walking into Starbucks and getting a coffee. You know what you are going to get, no matter where you are and regardless of who is making your drink. Similarly, standardizing our systems and equipment across locations helped ensure that the services we offered were executed in exactly the same way, wherever the patient went.
For example, we ensured that test results could be presented in the same user-friendly format and compared with previous results, regardless of the location the patient visited. Beyond technical standardization, it was important to me that patients could enjoy the same personalized care wherever they went. That required standardizing our business values.
My mother taught me not to do anything merely for money. If you live an honest life, give to others, and show genuine care, you will reap the rewards. That philosophy is the personal touch at the core of everything I have built. No matter how big or high-tech our organization has become, a humane and caring approach to patients always comes first.
That attitude starts internally. I spend a lot of time developing relationships with my staff, so they know I care for them and want to help them. For example, for new graduates who come to work for me from the outskirts of the city, I have a building near the office that provides free accommodation for them for the first six months, until they are financially stable. I want the people who work with me to know that I am grateful to have them.
That internal culture of caring is reflected in how staff treat patients outside of it. During COVID-19, for example, when patients grew anxious about waiting for their test results, I asked my staff to pass all the difficult customers to me, and when their results were ready, I personally called them with the outcomes. When they received their results from me, they realized I was working very hard with my team to serve them.
If you are passionate and hardworking, this will filter down to your staff. You cannot expect your staff to treat patients with genuine care if they do not first feel genuinely cared for themselves. Business values scale through behavior that filters down from the top and becomes the standard everyone else follows.
Growing a business is like growing a tree. You must invest in it, providing water, sunshine, and fertilizer, if it is going to grow strong and tall. Systems and equipment might be compared to the water and sunshine—these are the bare essentials a growing business needs to sustain. Values are the fertilizer, the extra nutrients that help the tree grow taller and its roots deeper. Without them, the tree may survive—but it won’t flourish.
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