At Kite Technology, we aim for a culture that delivers “WOW” to our clients and garners excitement among our staff. The 26 Flight Plan principles below shape our identity and bring vision to our team.
We review the list of principles weekly to remind ourselves that we are a company that cares about people, invests in relationships, and always delivers excellence. These principles are at the heart of who we are and contribute to the success of our clients and our company.
These first 7 principles are what we call “Our Flight Fundamentals”. They reflect our organization’s core values and are the most important traits that every KiteTech employee must have and exhibit. These principles guide how we work, grow our company, and interact with each other and our clients. It is these principles that differentiate Kite Technology and makes us industry leaders
Apply your creativity, spirit and enthusiasm to developing solutions. Refrain from pointing out the problem unless you are prepared to offer a solution. Don’t allow egos or hurt feelings to be the “elephant in the room” that keeps us from driving to a solution.
We identify ourselves as members of a larger team with shared goals. Each of us has a unique contribution to our team, and we recognize that we are stronger together than any of us is on our own. We are there to support our teammates, and we trust that our teammates will be there to support us.
Do the little things, as well as the big things, that blow people away. Create the kind of experiences that leave clients wanting to tell their friends. Create loyalty by performing beyond expectations. In all situations, do what’s best for the client, even if it’s to our own detriment. There is no greater way to earn Trusted Advisor status than to steadfastly act in the client’s best interest.
We keep a positive attitude about our company, our job, and our teammates. We always choose to look at the bright side. We defeat negativity by choosing optimism and by having confidence in our company and teammates.
Don’t accept anything at “face value” if it doesn’t make sense to you. Healthy, vigorous debate creates better solutions. There’s no better question than “Why?”. Challenge your leadership when the facts are on your side or you disagree with their judgment. Sound arguments win the day regardless of organizational position.
Take responsibility for identifying and addressing problems in our organization. Recognize that every decision we make has implications for our clients, our employees, and our business. Any decision or recommendation you make must demonstrate consideration of all three stakeholders.
There’s no better way to earn people’s trust than to be true to your word. Do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. This includes being on time for phone calls, meetings, and field appointments. Allow extra time for surprises and delays, and don’t let these become excuses. If something comes up, let others know as soon as you can.
The remaining 19 principles that we call “The Preflight Checklist” are the behaviors and values that we believe are integral in developing a high performing culture. They are what make Kite Technology a great place to work and help us deliver extraordinary technology services to our clients
Whether or not you have formal responsibility for other team members, make the job of those in your charge easier. Promptly respond to their requests, thoroughly equip them when they ask for help, anticipate and knock down barriers that prevent them from being successful.
We reward and celebrate results. We set wildly important goals, use lead measures to track progress, and hold ourselves accountable for achieving those goals. We manage day-to-day by KPIs. Treat goals, budgets, and milestones as mandates. Anticipate obstacles and address them before they prevent a winning outcome.
Catching people doing something right is far more beneficial than catching them doing something wrong. Regularly extend meaningful appreciation in all directions throughout the company. Find unique and fun ways to celebrate success.
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Share the humor in the circumstances around us. Use levity to lighten the mood when needed. Keep perspective- the world has bigger problems than our daily work challenges. Laughter is the best medicine.
We increase the frequency and quality of our communications when issues arise or clients are frustrated. Resist the natural tendency to avoid conflict. Proactively engage our clients in sticky situations. See problems as opportunities to demonstrate concern and differentiate ourselves from the competition.
We answer the phone. Clients expect us to respond to their inquiries virtually immediately, even if it is to just acknowledge receipt. Meet their expectations. Now the hard part begins. Solve their problem as fast as possible and escalate when necessary.
We treat our clients as friends. View every interaction as an opportunity to build a relationship. Value “the person” over “the problem”. And remember- vendors are people, too
We treat our clients and each other with respect and expect the same in return. If faced with a situation where a client or coworker treats us rudely, we have the right to politely request respect and gracefully disengage if the poor behavior persists. We will not tolerate patterns of disrespect from each other or from our clients
Create clarity and avoid misunderstandings by discussing expectations upfront. Establish mutually understood objectives and deadlines for all projects, issues and commitments. Where appropriate, confirm your communication by asking others to repeat back their understanding to ensure total clarity and agreement.
Doing nothing is NOT a strategy. When faced with a choice between acting or not, always choose action. Find a way – take personal responsibility for making things happen – somehow, some way. Respond to every situation by looking for how we can do it, rather than explaining why it can’t be done.
We obsess about following the process. We recognize that only by respecting the process, can we respect our teammates and deliver consistent results. No exceptions. If you don’t like the process, feel free to question authority…but in the meantime: FOLLOW THE PROCESS.
Work from the assumption that people are good, fair, and honest. Set aside your preconceived notions. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Don’t make assumptions. Verify symptoms. Be prepared for additional information to change your judgments and conclusions. Be tenacious in pursuing other information that can give you a more complete picture.
Address violated expectations and broken commitments directly with the team member. Avoid the tendency to sugarcoat the issue with the offending party while “dumping” on others. Raise issues when underperformance affects our team reputation – don’t bury these issues. Identify the right problem to address. Discern whether the problem stems from a lack of ability or motivation and address accordingly.
Life sometimes deals us tough circumstances. When one of our colleagues is struggling, we treat them like family. We take an interest in helping and encouraging them. We pick up the slack in the short term when our wounded colleagues are healing or tending to the needs of their family.
We work as a team and grow as a team. We never have to face issues or problems alone. We invest in our relationships and make time to be there for each other. We encourage, share knowledge and help our teammates grow in their roles at KiteTech but also as individuals. Our teammates’ success is our success. We are more than coworkers, we are friends.
If you can’t manage multiple priorities, you won’t be a superstar. Use an effective task management system for prioritizing and tracking outstanding issues and commitments..
Ticket status, client environments, technology standards, processes, time entries, commitments all require thorough documentation. Remember: If it is not in ConnectWise, it didn’t happen.
Be willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the job…plus a little bit more. Take the next step to solve the problem, even if it is not in your job description. It’s the extra mile that separates the “B” performer from the superstar. Be a superstar.
Take pride in the quality of everything you touch and everything you do. Ask yourself, “Is this my best work?” If not, fix it. Everything you touch has your signature. Be proud to sign it in bold ink.
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Cloud solutions architect
Adam is passionate about consulting with organizations across the country to help them develop and execute a cloud adoption strategy that meets their business needs and future objectives. Adam oversees and manages our company strategy for Microsoft 365 adoption and is responsible for future growth and development inside Microsoft 365 and other cloud technologies.
