The FUTREND Way

FUTREND’s exceptional culture is both our guiding principle and the glue that keeps our company together.

The foundation of our culture can be seen in our 4 core values: Honesty & Integrity, Hard Work, Excellence, and Self-improvement. Our values are defined by our 30 Fundamentals that are used to impact our daily behavior. If you are interested in professional services, we want to hear from you!

FUTREND'S 30 Fundamentals

ACT WITH INTEGRITY. Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing in every action you take and in every decision you make, especially when no one’s looking. We have a responsibility to be a trusted steward for public funds. Always tell the truth, no matter the consequences. If you make a mistake, own up to it, apologize, and make it right.
MAKE QUALITY PERSONAL. Demonstrate a passion for excellence and take pride in the quality of everything you touch and everything you do. Show you care. Have a healthy disdain for mediocrity. Take the attitude that good is not good enough. Always ask yourself, “Is this my best work? Is this the best possible solution given what I know and the relevant constraints?”
DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR THE CUSTOMER. In all situations, do what’s best for the customer, even if it’s to our own short-term detriment. Within the confines of the contract, do whatever is necessary to help the customer be successful. There’s no greater way to build a reputation than to steadfastly do what’s right for others. Every day.
INVEST IN RELATIONSHIPS. Take the time to get to know people on a more personal level. Genuinely care for and about each other. Whether it’s a kind word during a tough stretch, a friendly smile each morning, or a helping hand in stressful times, show your compassion. Strive to add value and be a useful resource. Our business is built on trust and trust is built on relation- ships. Strong relationships enable us to more successfully work through difficult issues and challenging times. Partner with customers for their success.
LOOK AHEAD AND ANTICIPATE. Prepare potential solutions to problems before they happen by recognizing risks, anticipating future issues, planning for contingencies, and addressing them in advance. Work with appropriate lead times. Preventing issues is always better than fixing them. Be proactive and preemptive.
WALK IN YOUR CUSTOMER’S SHOES. Understand your customer’s world and business. Know their needs, wants, challenges and frustrations. Know the requirements, expectations, constraints, politics, and relationships that affect the customer and our work. The better you understand them, the more effectively you can anticipate and meet their needs.
TREASURE, PROTECT, AND PROMOTE OUR REPUTATION AND BRAND. Be responsible for the FUTREND image, brand, and reputation. Consider how your actions affect our collective reputation, and be a proud ambassador for the company. Protect and defend FUTREND’s reputation as your own.
FIND A WAY. Take personal responsibility for making things happen. Respond to every situation by looking for how and what we can do, rather than explaining why it can’t be done. Be resourceful and show initiative by coming to the table with creative solutions. Take ownership, rather than making excuses or waiting for others to solve the problem.
BE A FANATIC ABOUT RESPONSE TIME. Respond to questions and concerns quickly, whether it’s in person, on the phone, or by e-mail. This includes simply acknowledging that we got the question and we’re “on it,” as well as keeping those involved continuously updated on the status of outstanding items.
GET CLEAR ON EXPECTATIONS. Create clarity and avoid misunderstandings by discussing expectations upfront. Set expectations for others and ask when you’re not clear on what they expect of you. End all meetings with clarity about action items, responsibilities, and due dates.
HONOR COMMITMENTS. Do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. This includes being on time for all phone calls, appointments, meetings, and promises. If a commitment can’t be fulfilled, notify others in advance and agree on a new deliverable or timeline to be honored. Be reliable and consistent.
LISTEN GENEROUSLY. Remember that listening is more than simply “not speaking.” Give others your undivided attention. Be present and engaged. Minimize the distractions and let go of the need to agree or disagree. Suspend your judgment and be curious to know more, rather than jumping to conclusions. Above all, listen to understand.
SPEAK STRAIGHT. Speak honestly in a way that helps to make progress. Say what you mean, and be willing to ask questions, share ideas, or raise issues that may cause conflict when it’s necessary for team success. Be courageous enough to say what needs to be said. Address issues directly with those who are involved or affected.
SHOW MEANINGFUL APPRECIATION. Recognizing people doing things right is more effective than pointing out when they do things wrong. Regularly extend meaningful acknowledgment and appreciation — in all directions throughout our organization.
DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. The goal is to get things right, not simply to get them done. While we always want to meet the deadline, sometimes we need to slow down in order to speed up. Double-check your work.
BE A LIFELONG LEARNER. Seek out and take advantage of every opportunity to gain more knowledge, to develop your skills, and to increase your competency. Be hungry for knowledge and resourceful about learning. Share what you know. Maintain humility and have fun learning from each other.
PRACTICE BLAMELESS PROBLEM-SOLVING. Demonstrate a relentless solution focus, rather than pointing fingers or dwelling on problems. Identify lessons learned and use those lessons to improve ourselves and our processes, so we don’t make the same mistake twice. Get smarter with every mistake. Learn from every experience.
DELIVER RESULTS. While we appreciate effort, we reward and celebrate results. Work with a sense of urgency, be thorough, and follow-up on everything. Take responsibility to ensure that tasks get completed to the customer’s satisfaction and expectation. Verify that work is complete.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE. The best way to influence others is through your own example. Walk the talk. Take responsibility, both formally and informally, to coach, guide, teach, and mentor others. Be the change you want to see.
FOLLOW THE ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES. Follow our operating procedures to ensure consistency and high performance. When you see opportunities for process improvement, recommend them so that new and better standards can be established for everyone’s benefit.
THINK TEAM FIRST. Don’t let your ego or personal agenda get in the way of doing what’s best for the customer, FUTREND, and your project team. Be there for each other and be willing to step into another role or help a co-worker when that’s what’s required for success. Help each other to succeed.
GET THE FACTS AND ANALYZE DATA. Gather the facts before jumping to conclusions or making judgments. Make good business decisions by relying on facts and data. Form opinions objectively. Analyze the data and use this information to make better decisions and take concrete actions.
BE POSITIVE. You have the power to choose your attitude. Choose to be joyful, optimistic, and enthusiastic. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Your attitude is contagious. Spread optimism and positive energy.
GO THE EXTRA MILE. Be willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the job . . . plus a little bit more. Whether it’s starting early, staying late, or doing something that’s not in your job description, go the extra mile that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary.
SHARE INFORMATION. With appropriate respect for confidentiality, share information freely throughout our organization. Enable people to collaborate by providing more background and data points. Learn to ask yourself, “Who else needs to know this?” Share more and sooner, even if it’s bad news. Prevent and avoid surprises.
WORK SMART. Be organized and plan your work for maximum efficiency. Be thoughtful about your schedule, and have a game plan for your workday and your tasks. Know the priorities and work on them first.
COLLABORATE. Be open to new perspectives and different approaches. Collective intelligence is always better. Ask for suggestions and ideas. Learn and benefit from others’ experience and expertise. Work together.
BE RELENTLESS ABOUT IMPROVEMENT. Regularly reevaluate every aspect of your job to find ways to improve. Don’t be satisfied with the status quo. Guard against complacency. Find ways to get things done better, faster, and more efficiently.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Be an active part of your community and FUTREND. Give back by contributing your time, effort, and where appropriate, your money, to make FUTREND and your community better. Every little bit matters. You can and do make a difference.
KEEP THINGS FUN. Remember that the world has bigger problems than the daily challenges that make up our work. Keep perspective when stuff happens, and don’t let problems get to you. Laugh and smile every day.