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Corporate Values Statement  The following statement captures the essence of our commitment to corporate ethics and the true nature of the professional guidance imparted to all associates of CCT Solutions through our Corporate Education Program - a program designed to educate and articulate what is at stake when it comes to the demonstration of fair and ethical business practices and standards at our Company.

What business celebrity began his illustrious career by collecting and selling lost golf balls?

By Christopher J. Gorton, MBA

President, CCT Solutions, Inc.

There certainly seems to be a general consensus today that having and demonstrating corporate values in one's professional life is, indeed, every bit as important as having and demonstrating personal values in one’s private life.  The public’s rightful disgust over the revelation of the nearly nonexistent ethical standards in organizations like Enron and WorldCom - and the alarming discovery of how costly such lapses can be for everyone - has ensured that the focus and debate on this subject will be a permanent part of business discourse in America for a long time to come.

Ensuring that we are and remain an ethical business enterprise cannot simply be done by pronouncements and policies alone.  While these formal components are essential, they cannot address each and every specific situation that may present itself and their inability to serve as a beacon of ethical behavior during such times can render the safeguards they are supposed to provide as merely illusory - especially when such policies cannot specifically address the wide variety and complexity of the many choices each of us must make with regularity in our daily professional lives.  Many times, it is in the failure of communication and proper interpretation of policy that leads to a breakdown in the ability of ethics policies and proclamations to shape behavioral choice and that is where many corporations run awry of their corporate value statements.

Something very fundamental must happen if we are to be an organization that doesn't just profess to have corporate values, but actually demonstrates that we have them.  Beyond the usual - but necessary - policies and procedures, we must also create a frame-work within our organization that guides ethical business decisions when there are perceived 'grey areas' and we must form our business processes around them from inception.  It is essential that the premium we place on our corporate values be reinforced, practiced and communicated - by example and by word - from the very center of our organization out to its furthest edges.

Sometimes, the communication within an organization that shapes the set of values that our colleagues may learn from and then emulate can be quite subtle – like a manager making the implication that coworkers should put in longer hours at the expense of their family life or other personal priorities if they are to be of greater value to the organization going forward.  And sometimes, such communication can be quite overt – like telling a coworker that they should ‘do whatever it takes’ to make a project or job 'successful' or reach a given target, even though some measure of what one is being asked to do may be morally or ethically objectionable.  So, our thoughts must be governed by the basic principles that form the foundation of our ethics policies and it is only then that the practice and communication of those principles within our organization will effectively work to educate and truly articulate in a way that positively shapes a coherent and shared understanding of what our values truly are and how committed everyone must be to demonstrating them through their professional interaction with others.

At CCT Solutions, we know that our professional behavior must always be a testimony to our commitment to a corporate value system that is ethical, fair-minded and respectful of every individual that is either part of this organization or that is touched by it.  Our individual and collective behavior must always reflect the basic principles of our Company.  So, as we conduct ourselves in our daily professional life, we must firmly believe, communicate and affirm that:

• People have a fundamental right to speak openly, honestly and without censorship of any kind;

• Exercising that right must never be prohibited, discouraged or result in any form of retaliation;

• While inclusive resolution and consensus are always highly preferred, professional disagreement is allowed;

• People should always be treated with dignity and the highest level of professional respect;

• There is no meaningful difference between silence and consent;

• Seeking help or guidance when one is uncertain is a sign of confidence and an open mind - not an admission of inability;

• People have the right to best determine their own life's priorities for themselves - and the balance that they choose must, necessarily, be respected by others;

• Our clients are the lifeblood of our business and our primary duty is to always offer our best professional judgment when consulted - and then get fully behind whatever choice they elect to make for themselves;

• We should conduct ourselves knowing that when we act individually, we reflect on this Company as a whole and all who have dedicated their professional lives to its success;

• We should listen carefully to others and make every effort to fully understand the meaning of what is being said before we ourselves begin to formulate a reply or speak;

• No one is perfect, but everyone is expected to be perfectly honest;

• Failure doesn’t come when an objective isn’t met - it only comes when there isn’t an opportunity to discover what could have been done differently to better ensure that we don't find ourselves in a similar circumstance again;

• Even the most resounding of successes can be improved, and that fact doesn't in any way diminish the success at hand - it only further strengthens the successes of tomorrow;

• We should take care to always act with thoughtful intent and measured consideration;

• The application of effort and hard work are the fundamental cornerstones of professional self-respect;

• Everyone’s unique contribution and difference makes for a stronger team;

• Continual, life long education and learning is an integral part of a meaningful professional career;

• Our greatest achievement should always be genuinely believed to be what we are working on at the present time;

• Integrity can never be taken from you - and you shouldn't be led into giving it away, either - no matter how subtle the invitation, persuasive the argument or how great the reward for doing so may appear to be;

• Weakness and shortcoming in others should always be constructively addressed and never exploited;

• The amount that you take from another person, organization or process should never exceed the amount that you are giving;

• Commitment cannot be measured in thirds, fourths or halves - you are either committed to something or you are not;

• Be mindful and consider fully that from inception, our actions are graciously assumed by others to be of the best intent and highest purpose and, accordingly, we have an absolute obligation to honor that generosity of nescient, yet unreciprocated trust by representing our very best selves.

In closing, I am confident that if we are always mindful of these fundamental, guiding principles when we communicate with or otherwise educate each other and are mindful of them when we serve our clients, that when a difficult ethical choice presents itself, we will make the best decision.  And, by doing so,  we will continue to serve this Company honorably by grounding our actions in behavior that is ethical and best ensures that our service is demonstrative of our strength and dedication to the highest of ethical standards and corporate values.

  Q   Are you still unsure about which of the paths before you is the better, more ethical choice?

  A  Then ask yourself a simple question: if the action you contemplate taking were on the evening news, would you be proud of what it said about you, this Company and all of our many respected clients who have generously entrusted us with professional association?

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