Core Values as Cornerstones

I love how our stores all embody the same Core Values, leading to a general culture of empowerment, fun, creativity and friendship; yet each store has its own style, its own take on that culture and how it embodies the Core Values. Each store team uses that empowerment to do their own thing, to better the experience for themselves and for our customers, in their own way.

If you work in a place with intentional culture, then this may still seem remarkable, but also understandable and even commonplace. However, if you have had experience with unintentional, unempowering or even negative company culture this might just blow your mind: The Willow Glen team decided to run this contest all on their own. It's not something the corporate team or the owner said to do. It's not something any of the other stores are doing. It's not something ACE suggested doing.

It's just a great idea that Willow Glen came up with on their own and implemented.  They made a raffle jar out of an old paint can (Innovation!), showcased some of our chalk paint, wrote our core values on the can and put it out there.

The thing that makes my heart sing about this is that at Hassett Hardware we know we have an entire company full of innovators and makers, and we act like it. I don't know the whole story behind how this particular great idea came into being, but my educated guess is that someone said to the store manager, "Hey, I think this would work," and the store manager probably said, "Great, let's try it." It's completely possible (and not unusual) that the person who thought of it may have just gone ahead and done it. 

We believe in each other and everybody knows it. What's the best thing that could happen? They try it. What's the worst thing that could happen? They try it. The best and worst are one in the same, because someone took an idea they had and implemented it. They experimented. They trusted themselves and the process and the fact that their idea was totally in line with the core values. Whether it works or not, is secondary. When the core values are used as the cornerstones for how we all act, we are each our own boss, navigating by a compass that always points in the right direction.

-Jocelyn Lovelle

I am so grateful to work with owners of a company who truly value their employees and really do walk the talk of trust, respect and offering a path of empowerment and responsibility for each of us.

Hassett Hardware now has approximately 150 employees, all of whom are considered family from the moment they start. There is really only one rule at the company: Follow the Core Values.

Four members of the Hassett team just attended a culture event based around best practices for ACE Hardware store managers. Two of us, myself included, presented to the group on Telling Your Story - The Importance of Meaningful Content and Interviewing, Hiring and Training. Both of these presentations focused on the importance we place at Hassett on basing all of our decisions on culture and our core values.

We got some pushback from the managers in the room, wondering how we give so much freedom and responsibility to our front-line staff (cashiers, sales associates) right from the day they start. We pointed out that that was part of our culture. We need to trust others in order to gain their trust. It's a neat little circle that pays off wonders when entered into with clear intentions and a system to back it up.

We were surprised to learn that most other owners don't offer up that same trust or freedom, much less support of our individuality (some of us have brightly-colored hair, others of us dress a bit like a hippie) and creative ideas.

I had a great conversation with one of the owners last week about the importance of failing. For if we don't fail at all, that means we also haven't tried at all. And at Hassett, we believe in all of it: trying, failing, succeeding, supporting, trusting and working towards a larger goal, a larger purpose of making the world a better place by offering kindness and genuine respect to each other and to those who come into our stores.

Thank you Eric and Richard for your vision and your support!

- Jocelyn Lovelle

We're a Best Place to Work in the Bay Area

On June 12, 2013, it was announced that our employees nominated us, and then voted us, one of the BANG (Bay Area News Group) 2013 Best Places to Work in the Bay Area!

We are honored and thrilled, as we have been actively changing the culture at all four of our stores for the past two years. We strive to create a workplace where employees are empowered, heard and seen; and feel a sense of teamwork, accomplishment and fun. Looks like we're on the right track!

Dynamic Workplaces is the independent survey company who ran the contest, the outcome of which was based entirely on employee input. They chose their three favorite quotes from the surveys, and these comments exemplify the way we want our employees to think and speak about their experience with us:

"I work with incredible people and the culture creates an energy that makes me excited about going to work every day."

"I have clear direction from my manager, know what is expected of me, have flexibility in my schedule, and am appreciated for my hard work! This company has far exceeded my expectations."

"Our culture is one where we get a lot of autonomy to succeed. I feel a high sense of trust to do my job. I also love the people I work with. We are a motivated and engaged group that lives by the "work hard, play hard" philosophy."

Hassett ACE Hardware was number 21 out of the winning 95 top workplaces - out of a total of 1,400 companies surveyed.