With everything in life, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. I love it when people are maverick and flourish. Most entrepreneurs I know have consistently done it the 'wrong way' and bounded forward through life.
Despite being over 150 years old, TIMPSON LTD is thoroughly entrepreneurial. And as entrepreneurs, one 'best practice' mould they have completely smashed is for their values.
I recommend that a values set contains seven items, max. Theirs has 28.
I recommend that values are phrased consistently, in a logical order, and follow a theme. Theirs veer all over the place. There's no grammatical consistency at all.
They call this 28-strong values set their Magic Dust.
How can ANYONE remember and work towards 28 random items? And yet .... and yet. Over 5,500 Timpson people are completely committed to the Magic Dust. It's sprinkled everywhere, by everyone. Across the whole team there is dedication to delivering on its promises and meeting its high expectations.
It's because, from the Timpson family and throughout the team, there is a total commitment to those values. They are applied with a relentless vigour, stitched into every action and decision. The belief in those values is so strong that the business makes absolutely sure they deliver the goods. As with all real values, expectations are high - look at the values set below and you'll see some tough stuff built in. As I say on repeat, values don't have to be 'nice' - they are about setting the bar high to help people achieve great things.
As John Timpson says: "It took me ten years to ingrain this way of working into our culture. My deepest thinking colleagues realise that this is a never ending project…….’We always live on a tightrope – it wouldn’t take long for the magic dust to disappear‘”
And in return the rewards are superb. Team members are treated with respect, kindness and generosity. Speak to someone at your local Timpson and see what they think: I can almost guarantee their eyes will light up as they talk about the business and their experiences in it.
Timpson call their methodology 'upside down management' - the customer-facing staff on the floor in the shops are supported rather than controlled by management, and expected to use initiative.
It's genius. That positivity flows outwards to Timpson's customers and communities, helping the business to survive and thrive in changing marketplaces and through unexpected situations that have floored most of their competitors.
Here are Timpson's values:
Aim to be the best
Enjoy Change
Visit the business
Keep looking for ideas
Show leadership
Win hearts and minds
Weekly newsletter
No secrets
Upside-Down management
Amaze your customers
Obsessed with our people
Pick great people
No big shots
No head office
No politics.
No cheats, no drongos
Great place to work
The bonus scheme
Training
Be fair
Know your people
Lifelong employment
Support people in trouble
Praise
Charity
Celebrate success
Have fun
Family business
As an aside: why do I recommend fewer values? Simply put, unless you are prepared to put the effort in that a large, unwieldy values set requires, it makes your task easier to have a small punchy set of memorable, relevant values. What works for Timpson takes a huge concerted effort: it really is a 'never-ending project'. You might prefer an easier way to shape your culture through values.