Leading with value to drive organizational growth | On Business

I am often asked what a chamber of commerce does, and when considering how to reply, I always return to our values. It’s hard to concisely explain the myriad of products, services, and relationships that come out of our organization in an elevator pitch, but it’s easy to explain why we exist and what we believe in.

At Greater Rochester Chamber, we have spent extensive time thinking about our organizational values. Taking into consideration the input from our full team, we have organized it into five distinct values. Since 1887, we have lived by our values and can point back to them with everything we do. For any leader struggling to come up with a “what” or a “why” for their role or organization, I would encourage you to engage in this exercise and to lead with values.

Our first value, inclusion, shows up in everything we do. In spite of what perceptions may be present, there is no organization too large or too small for us to help. For example, recently, a member of ours with just five employees reached out early on a Sunday morning about an issue her small company was facing. Within an hour, we connected her to both a well-known and well-respected CEO as well as Representative Joe Morelle, who both replied and were ready to step in and help.

When we talk about our second value, passion, we mean a relentless pursuit for new ideas and solutions. Our Chamber is very unique. While we are a membership organization, we’ve identified additional community needs and opportunities. Because of this, we are the only chamber of commerce around the country to have a full-service recruitment agency, Beyond TalentEdge, and the only to have a full-service background and drug screening agency, Authentica, housed within our organization.

Integrity is paramount to sustaining our organization – and we have to prove it. Greater Rochester Chamber has been designated a Five-Star Chamber by the US Chamber of Commerce twice, most recently in 2021. Only three in New York State have achieved this designation – a wonderful reinforcement of the systems we have throughout our organization.

We would be nothing without collaboration. By design, we are a convener. We bring together groups that might not connect on their own to align on our shared goals and drive our community forward. Our talent strategy efforts are a great example of this – while no organization owns workforce development, we work relentlessly to align systems and programs that help businesses get the talent they need and residents to find the careers they deserve.

And finally, we operate with a service mindset above all. Our goal is to serve the whole region and everyone who lives, works, and plays here. This means working with our state delegation on both sides of the aisle to enact change for all. Relationships are the key to this work, and we work hard to maintain them. This looks like thanking others for their roles, fostering long-term relationships, and not rushing to always take credit.

We have these values displayed proudly on our walls and on every teammate’s desk. But these aren’t just interior design choices – they’re physical reminders, throughout all of the craziness and business our team encounters, of what we stand for and why we exist. Any time an employee is challenged to make a difficult decision, the best decision is always the one guided by our values. By showcasing how Greater Rochester Chamber leads with values, I hope that you will consider how your own role and organization can be more closely aligned with its values, whether they’re the same as ours or different. In the hyperpartisan and polarizing world that we live in, finding what you and your teams truly believe in your core is critical to growth – in business and in life.

Robert J. Duffy is president and CEO of Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce. Contact him at [email protected].