Culture = values + behaviour
I’m one of Voco’s newest recruits. Well, kind of.
I’m actually still at university doing a full-time marketing and management degree, but for the past few months I’ve been spending time with different teams at Voco to get an understanding of what working with real clients in the real world feels like.
I’m not really sure what I expected.
So far most of my studies have been very hypothetical and are typically focused on B2C concepts rather than the B2B space that Voco operates in.
From what I’ve learned at University and from my Dad (Dudley Harris – one of the Partners here at Voco), business consultancy seems really interesting. Getting to work across different industries and helping clients solve vastly different problems though tough, also sounds pretty cool!
And thankfully it's been just that.
One of the major things that’s stood out so far is that consultancy is genuinely hard!
Chief Student
Getting to work alongside the super smart and experienced people at Voco has been amazing. They’re able to grapple with problems so quickly and bring up things I would never have thought of. But despite them being faster and smarter than me, they always take the time to slow down and explain things to me so that I can learn, which has been really nice.
One of the major things that’s stood out so far is that consultancy is genuinely hard!
The Voco team seem to be brought in on projects where there are really gnarly problems to solve or when a project has fallen off the rails.
It’s pretty clear that you need to be really experienced to be able to provide the kind of help that clients need. Even with a year and a half of University under my belt now (very impressive I know!), I am nowhere close to being able to provide the same value as a Voco employee. I'll get there one day though!
It has really shown me that consultancy isn’t something you can just walk into. You need to earn the right by working in lots of different businesses, across lots of different industries, acquiring the knowledge and experience required to be able to help others quickly and efficiently.
It’s given me a new-found appreciation for the work that my dad and the rest of the Voco team do.
In my first few months, I’ve spent the majority of my time with the Voco marketing team to understand how they get the Voco story out into the world.
One of the main ways they do it is writing blog articles like this. So I thought I’d give it a go and share some observations from the perspective of somebody new to the business and starting out in their career!
When I was thinking about a topic for this article, and reflecting on what I’ve learned so far, I kept coming back to company values.
Voco’s values have really surprised me. Not so much the values themselves, but the fact they are so deeply ingrained in the culture of the company.
Growing up in a world of mega corporations I'm pretty used to hearing lots of buzzword values that companies say they follow, but behind the curtain they really don't. Voco’s values aren’t just a set of words on a wall, they properly shape the way the team operate and behave.
This really struck me when I got to spend two days with the Voco team at the annual Viva la Voco conference in Christchurch at the beginning of May.
This sense of belonging and inclusion showed me that Voco doesn't just talk about values, they live them.
Chief Student
It was the first time I’d met most of the team face-to-face, and it was so nice to feel so welcomed! No matter which group I joined for activities, everyone was seriously so friendly, and I felt genuinely included and adopted as part of the team.
This sense of belonging and inclusion showed me that Voco doesn't just talk about values, they live them.
I heard from many people in the team that they choose to work at Voco because they feel like an actual person here, not just a number. Everyone feels like they’re part of a community of like minds, with a common purpose, and that their experience, opinions and ideas are genuinely valued.
It really shifted how I view company values. I know it won't be like this at every company but it's nice to know that places like Voco do exist.
I was also surprised by how much effort and thought went into the team building activities at the conference.
When I’ve done this sort of thing in part time jobs before, or when being introduced to a new class at school, it’s usually been a cringy icebreaker (you know, the old “share one interesting thing about you!”) or some variation of a trust fall.
But at Viva, we spent the first evening together doing a Masterchef competition, which was not only awesome fun, but created an opportunity for each team to flex their creative muscles and demonstrate their collaboration skills (as well as cooking some delicious food!)
I loved it – and the format made the lessons way more memorable.
One of the main soundbites I’ll remember from the conference is that, “culture is the sum of our values plus our behaviour.” It’s a simple equation but it’s pretty powerful when you see it in action.
So what are Voco’s values? Well, there are four of them:
People First
Our people are the heart and soul of our business - the unique ingredient that sets Voco apart from the competition. We look after our team by giving them opportunities to work with great clients who do good for NZ, embracing work-life balance and professional development along the way.
We Get Shit Done
We're a team of creative thinkers, problem-solvers and action-takers, who like nothing more than rolling up our sleeves, tackling challenges head-on, and unlocking value quickly for our clients.
Purposely Restless
We refuse to settle for the ordinary or the comfortable. We’re fuelled by curiosity, challenging the status quo, and looking for better ways to do things.
Trusted Powerhouse
As go-to experts, renowned for providing rock-solid support and delivering exceptional results, we instill confidence in our clients through relevant experience and our track record of success.
And these values are applied in a really practical way with a simple checklist:
Live them every day: Incorporate our values into your daily actions and decisions.
Apply them universally: Use our values to guide interactions with everyone, from colleagues to clients, partners and suppliers.
Equal importance: Treat all our values equally; they are all integral to our success.
Assess your work: Use our values as a framework to evaluate your performance and outcomes.
Provide feedback: Offer feedback grounded in our values to help each other grow and improve.
Voco's values are so much more than words on a page; they are the essence of who we are and what we stand for as a business.
Chief Student
Values are so much more than words on a page; they are the essence of who we are and what we stand for as a business. They guide our actions, shape our culture, and complement our purpose of driving positive change by simplifying the complex.
As somebody starting out in their career, I feel really fortunate to have seen and experienced first hand how a clear set of values, that are genuinely lived by the team, can create such a strong sense of common purpose and alignment. It feels like a really important career (and life) lesson.
Like I said before, and from talking to the team, it doesn’t sound like I’ll find this everywhere. But I guess that’s what makes Voco special.
I know I’ve got a lot to learn and a long way to go before I can start adding the kind of value to clients that our talented Voco consultants do on a day-to-day basis. But it feels like I’m off to a good start, and when I’m looking at future job opportunities, I’ll always know to look for businesses with strong values that are aligned with my own.
When you’re lucky enough to find that alignment, your workplace feels like home.