When the world fundamentally changed back in March, our heads were spinning. Like many (well, all) of our peers, we had more questions than answers. Would we shut down? For how long? What does this mean for our business? What the hell is even happening?
In mindfulness practice, there’s a concept called “coming back to your breath.” The idea is simple: when you’re in a stressful situation, focus on taking slow, deep breaths. This communicates to your lizard brain that you’re not in danger and allows your higher-functioning brain to resume control. The effect is clearer thinking, which leads to better results.
While we were shut down, we as a company came back to our breath, so to speak. Yes, the shutdown was painful in a very real way, but it also provided us with an opportunity to dive into what our core values were as a company. Why do we do what we do, and how can we take that “why” and use it as a beacon to help guide our path forward?
This post is the home page of a small series in which we dive into our four Core Values. We’re excited to share these with you. We’ll give them an overview here, but we also invite you to keep an eye on this blog in the coming week as individual posts on each value are shared.
Our Core Values – Be: REAL
After hours of brainstorming, debate, and hair-splitting, we decided that our core values came down to a simple concept: be real. In our case, “REAL” is an acronym which stands for be Reputable, be Extraordinary, be Authentic, and be Learned.
Be Reputable
Your reputation is part and parcel of your image. After fifteen plus years in business, we understand that it takes a (very) long time to build a reputation, and only a short time to ruin one. We strive to be reputable, just like our namesake Henry A. Davidsen was, in all of our dealings, be it with our clients, our vendors, or in our personal lives.
It’s our evergreen goal to help clients build their reputation so that it precedes them (in a good way) wherever they go, whether business or socially related.
Be Extraordinary
A life well-lived is full of extraordinary experiences. We have our biases, but we believe that designing and then wearing a handmade, custom garment is one such experience.
We strive to deliver extraordinary garments that fit extraordinarily, with extraordinary service to match.
Be Authentic
If “being real” could be summed up in one word, “authentic” would be that word. At its core, authenticity is about being yourself. Clothing made exclusively for you as an individual is a real-world way to express your most authentic self. We strive to be our authentic selves with our clients, and our goal is to allow them to project an image of authenticity in all that they do. Authenticity and diversity are celebrated every day at Henry A. Davidsen.
Be Learned
In our view, to be learned (pronounced learn-ED, in this case) doesn’t necessarily deal with formal education. Instead, we value a thirst for knowledge and the initiative to seek it out in the interest of self-development. As a company, we are constantly seeking ways to improve our products and processes, and we look for that same passion in our employees and clients. We also look to not only transfer knowledge inward, but outward just as much. We thrive when we are able to pass along the knowledge we’ve compiled to our clients.
Conclusion & Further Reading
We appreciate you taking the time to read about our core values. If you’re looking to start a conversation about managing your image, we’re here for you. Give us a call at 215-310-0219 or email info@henrydavidsen.com to start a conversation.
