Right Not Easy

Right Not Easy, another one of OrangeBall’s core values. To be transparent, this one feels inspiring when you add it to your values list. Everyone can sit around a table and say, “Yes, we always want to make the right choice, even when it’s hard.” Sounds great, right? And then, for months you don’t ever have to reflect back on it, until…

You make a mistake or don’t deliver on a promise.

As we’ve been sharing OrangeBall’s core values here on the Insights Blog, you’ve shared some great responses around topics like Seek to Serve and Positive on Purpose. Today, we’re going to spend some time talking about one of our core values that’s a little more challenging to rally around – Right Not Easy.

Let’s get real for a moment, and dive into the mud a bit…

Are you perfect? Do you ever make mistakes? Is the way you deliver your product or service always flawless? Does your team ever make missteps? Have you ever been stretched thin in your business, or at home, and dropped the ball?

We all have. The good news is you’re not alone. So how do you react when you face a decision that has two options, the right choice or the easy choice? Here at OrangeBall, when we’ve have had to answer this question, having “Right Not Easy” as a guide has made all the difference for us. It has created the guardrails we need to make business choices that are challenging, and it has built a culture where we hold ourselves and each other to a higher standard.

Here’s the reality though, actions speak louder than words. As with every core value we’ve shared, it’s easy to say you’re going to do something, but ACTUALLY doing it is the real measure. The words are meaningless if you’re not going to live them. And so, when the pressure is on, and it’s time to own our faults, that’s what we do. We own them, all of them.

It’s not always easy. Sometimes it impacts us personally, and sometimes it hits us financially.

But from experience, we can share this. Every single time we’ve held onto this value, and lived “Right Not Easy,” the result has been a stronger client relationship and an elevated OrangeBall culture. When these times occur, and they will, everyone is watching what you’ll do from your customers to your employees. They’re on the edge of their seats waiting to see if you’ll step up and do the right thing. Right Not Easy sets the tone for how you’ll do business and the trajectory for where you’re headed in the long term. The easy answer might be less painful in the short term, but the right one will always make you stronger in the future.

Call-to-Action

You might not encounter this today, this week, or even this month. We hope you don’t. But, the time will come when you do. Have a conversation now, with your team, about how you’ll handle this kind of adversity when it occurs and how you’ll live out Right Not Easy in your organization.