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How “Improving” is Redefining Business Success Through Trust, People, and Purpose

In today’s business landscape, true success extends beyond mere profits. Companies are increasingly expected to build trust, invest in their people, and make meaningful impacts in their communities. Improving, a technology management and consulting company, exemplifies this holistic approach by embedding these principles into every aspect of their operations.

By aligning actions with core values and fostering a culture rooted in trust and ethical leadership, Improving demonstrates how businesses can thrive while prioritizing integrity and purpose.

1. Guiding Every Action with Core Values

Improving’s core values—dedication, involvement, and excellence—are not just corporate slogans but the bedrock of their decision-making and operations at every level. These principles create a culture where both employees and clients are prioritized.

  • Dedication emphasizes supporting others without diminishing one’s own contributions. As Devlin Liles, a leader at Improving, explains: “It’s thinking more about others without thinking less of yourself.”
  • Involvement recognizes that collective success arises from shared responsibility. Liles highlights, “Our success is a consequence of our collective involvement.”
  • Excellence is viewed as a continuous journey rather than a destination. At Improving, “Excellence is a persistent habit, not an occasional action.”

Lesson for Businesses: Ground your company in strong, meaningful values that guide every decision. When these values are genuinely integrated into daily actions, they become a compass for sustainable growth and success.

2. Building a Culture of Trust and Accountability

For Improving, trust is the cornerstone of success, especially when operating across diverse regions like the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Instead of enforcing a rigid, uniform approach, Improving empowers local leaders to interpret the company’s values in ways that resonate with their teams.

Liles notes, “The values of the culture are consistent. The execution structure of the culture varies by the cultural norms.” This flexibility allows for cultural nuances while maintaining a unified vision, fostering trust and accountability throughout the organization.

Lesson for Businesses: Build trust by empowering your teams to adapt the company’s values to their local environments. Trust isn’t imposed from the top down—it’s earned through transparency, empowerment, and accountability.

3. Investing in People: A Commitment to Employee Development

Improving places significant emphasis on the personal and professional growth of its employees. Programs like Improving University offer opportunities to develop new skills, ranging from technical expertise to personal enrichment. This holistic approach keeps employees engaged and motivated over the long term.

Another standout initiative is the PATH program, which helps employees align their personal ambitions with company goals. Liles explains, “It’s about what they want in life and what Improving wants, and we look for the overlap in that.” By supporting both career goals and personal aspirations, Improving fosters a sense of purpose and ownership among its workforce.

Lesson for Businesses: Investing in your employees’ growth is a direct investment in your company’s future. Create development opportunities that enable your employees to thrive both professionally and personally, building a more loyal and engaged workforce.

4. Balancing Stakeholder Needs Through Dynamic Adjustment

Balancing the needs of employees, clients, investors, and the community requires constant evaluation. At Improving, this dynamic process allows the company to adjust priorities based on changing circumstances such as economic shifts or technological advancements.

“We’ve got dynamic tension between all of our stakeholders,” says Liles. “It creates this web that we’re trying to balance… and when the macro environment changes, we then have to adjust which stakeholders we’re prioritizing.” This careful balancing act ensures that no stakeholder is ever neglected, maintaining ongoing relationships even as focus shifts when necessary.

Lesson for Businesses: Recognize that maintaining balance among stakeholders is a dynamic and continuous process. Regularly assess the needs of your employees, clients, investors, and community, and be prepared to adjust your focus without compromising long-term relationships.

5. Innovating with Ethical Integrity

In the fast-evolving technology industry, innovation is critical. What sets Improving apart is its commitment to ensuring that innovation is always coupled with ethical practices. Whether it’s fostering transparent client relationships or building solutions aligned with their values, Improving maintains a steadfast focus on doing what’s right.

Liles emphasizes that some companies lose their way by treating “people [as] interchangeable cogs, projects [as] interchangeable cogs” in the pursuit of profit. In contrast, Improving doesn’t function well unless they “truly prioritize the entire ecosystem of stakeholders.”

Lesson for Businesses: Prioritize ethical practices alongside innovation. Ensure that your advancements benefit all stakeholders and remain transparent, creating a foundation of trust that drives long-term success.

6. Engaging the Community for Lasting Impact

Improving’s commitment to giving back is evident in its community-focused initiatives, particularly in education and diversity. The Women in STEM Coding Bootcamp is a prime example, offering young women from underprivileged backgrounds the chance to learn essential software development skills.

Participants were provided with a desktop computer and all the tools necessary to begin their coding journey. “For most of them, this was the first computer in their house,” Liles shares, highlighting the transformative impact on both the participants and their families.

Through efforts like this, Improving not only gives back to the community but also invests in the future of the technology industry by creating opportunities for the next generation of diverse talent.

Lesson for Businesses: Engage with your community in ways that create positive, lasting impacts beyond your business goals. Leverage your company’s strengths to support the community and contribute to the long-term health of your industry.

Final Thoughts

Improving’s success offers valuable insights into how businesses can thrive by focusing on purpose, trust, and people. Their commitment to employee growth, ethical innovation, and community engagement proves that building a company rooted in integrity leads to lasting success.

Key Takeaways for Your Business:

  1. Ground Your Actions in Strong Values: Establish meaningful core values that guide every decision and action within your company.
  2. Foster a Culture of Trust: Empower teams and promote accountability to build trust throughout your organization.
  3. Invest in Employee Growth: Support your employees’ personal and professional development to cultivate a loyal and engaged workforce.
  4. Balance Stakeholder Needs: Regularly evaluate and adjust to the needs of all stakeholders, maintaining strong relationships even as priorities shift.
  5. Innovate Ethically: Align your innovations with ethical practices to build trust and ensure long-term success.
  6. Engage with the Community: Use your company’s strengths to make a positive impact in your community and industry.

By embracing these principles, any business can build a more sustainable, purpose-driven model that benefits everyone involved.