“When keeping people safe is your business, it impacts habits, behaviors, and traditions.”
For better or worse, a day doesn’t go by without a reminder of Ontic’s company mission above playing out in the headlines. Sometimes, a potential perpetrator of violence is stopped before they act. In other instances, we are confronted with news of an attack, only to learn there were warning signs.
It’s natural for some to want to look away. As a company, we can’t. No matter how an investigation unfolds, our mission of helping prevent such acts strengthens.
That’s because empathy is among our company’s core values. In any industry, I believe empathy naturally leads, inspires, and creates common cultural ground. In a business whose mission is helping other businesses and organizations keep people safe—and in which a significant percentage of our employees hail from security, military, and protective intelligence backgrounds—it motivates us to continually improve.
In the wake of recent high-profile events, I’ve been thinking a lot about culture. How is it that, in the face of so many tragedies, my colleagues are motivated to continually improve?
A CULTURE OF GIVERS
In my experience, organizational culture is built from values, habits, traditions, and behaviors. Ontic is, to a great degree, what Wharton professor and organizational psychologist Adam Grant calls a company of “givers.” “Givers reject the notion that interdependence is weak,” Grant says. “Givers are more likely to see interdependence as a source of strength, a way to harness the skills of multiple people for the greater good.”
Like any business that wants to be around for the long-term, we are focused on efficient growth. At the heart of our mission, technology and expertise is also fostering the growth, strength, and resilience of our clients’ cultures. When our clients can keep their stakeholders safe, they can be more confident about the future of their business.
It’s not a mission to be taken lightly. These corporate leaders must imagine the unthinkable can happen to them or their company. They must acknowledge how not addressing potential violent threats through training and intelligence can sideline—or even destroy—their ongoing operations if not caught before they occur.
Inside Ontic, we have experts in threat assessment, investigations, corporate security, and executive protection, as well as heroic military veterans—all of whom have vast and historic experiences. Every so often, these individuals will joke in self-deprecating ways about stereotypes of security professionals. What I’ve learned from working with them is that their humanity and empathy are authentic and true. They are “givers” who have embodied our mission throughout their careers. Their authority, valor, and lived experiences influence our company culture in ways that motivate everyone to harness their skills for the greater good.
THE IMPACT OF YOUR MISSION
Your company’s mission may be vastly different from ours. Either way, your company has a culture, and that culture is extremely important to your success because it connects values and mission. How can companies with missions not tied to critical life and death issues positively impact their cultures? Habits, traditions, and values. My co-founders and I founded Ontic on “Leading with Empathy” as a core value. But I could not have imagined how the histories and experiences of some of my coworkers would ensure that we live and breathe it.
Values can speak volumes and impact companies in unforeseen ways. Defining and promoting company values can help further define the behaviors and benchmarks for potential and existing employees, prospects, clients, and investors. They are often inextricably linked to the business mission. In strong cultures, they are less dictum for stakeholders and more so words and concepts that mirror the fabric of day-to-day interactions and operations.
For executives who want to build stronger cultures, look at the link between your values and your people. If you are lucky, like me, that connection can shine through every day.
Lukas Quanstrom is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ontic Technologies, the first protective intelligence software company.