3. SPII’s Charter of Values – #Passion #Curiosity #Courage
We believe everything made with passion has more value,
that curiosity is the spark of progress,
and that courage to dare is the only way to truly innovate.
Companies often look for certain characteristics in their employees or candidates. Usually these are skills, hard or soft ones, that can positively impact their job and the company at large: empathy, problem solving, professionalism, team work…
Over the years, we came to define as well a certain set of characteristics that we value most, the ones we look for in the people we hire and in the way we run this company. Do you want to know what they are?
It’s simple: they are mainly 3.
1. Passion builds more value
It may sound mainstream, but this is the first thing we strive to achieve and that we look for in people. Passion is a driver for future value, it helps innovation, it prevents people turnover, and it may ultimately be the most important characteristic a person can have.
It doesn’t mean that you need to have an incredible passion for trains to work at SPII, neither that you have to be passionate about everything that you do in your job…but you do need to have a passion for what you are trying to achieve.
Be it a new product, a new way to make something old, a boring task that is for a greater good, or even something you don’t agree with. It is the passion to face new challenges that is most important.
Because not everything in life, nor in your everyday job, may be entertaining and impactful…but the passion you have for it determines the way you interact with reality, and the overall results you can achieve.
2. You need curiosity to explore new worlds
Curiosity is something often associated with children: they have a natural tendency to explore new situations, to try everything, to ask questions – even dumb ones.
This is exactly what we look for in our people, and the kind of behavior we want to have as a company!
We want to challenge the status quo, the “it’s always been done this way” mentality, and the boring attitude companies start to have when they believe they have done it all.
Our story is 75 years old, but our attitude is as young as new. We keep challenging ourselves, looking for new ways to do old stuff, trying to improve what is good and turn it into great.
It’s a shift in perspective: from “we need to get there” to “we are here…where to next?“.
You can’t achieve this without curiosity!
3. Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s the ability to conquer it
This is possibly the most important of the three, because:
- it’s difficult to have passion if you don’t have the spirit to invest fully in something,
- and you definitely can’t be curious if you are not brave enough to challenge what is in front of you.
The status quo is good, is safe and comfortable…why should anyone ever change that?
Courage is the answer.
You need courage to take difficult decisions everyday, something a good manager can’t lack – it would be otherwise much easier not to decide anything at all.
You need courage to believe in your ideas and challenge the ones of others, and every valuable worker needs to do that despite everything.
You need courage to suggest new options, to innovate, to try and accept that you could fail…and this is something invaluable for a company, otherwise time and change will inevitably take their toll.
Over the years, we got to believe that these are some of the most important characteristics we can find in people, and the ones we want to have as a company.
This is why they find space in the third place of our Charter of Values, right after #Whereverwecan and #Inclusion.
These are not universal truths, and not every job requires these three characteristics…but this is what we think is needed to work in SPII, and to contribute to our Vision and Mission.
Do you agree? Do you think you have them? Let’s meet, then!
See you next time,
Ilaria Cazziol
