At Human Element, we take people into consideration in 
everything we do. This applies to the work we do for clients — always considering the user experience first — but it’s also a major focus internally. Our people are our most valuable asset, and we are dedicated to nurturing a culture where every individual feels valued, supported, and empowered to excel. Recently, we revisited our core values to ensure they truly represent what we hold as important. We decided to further flesh them out by adding guiding principles, which provide further context to the meaning of the core value.
This year, we’re doing a series of posts highlighting each core value with corresponding guiding principles. These inform the approach we bring to work every day with our clients and each other.
Follow along as we address a new core value each month! Let’s get started…
Our First Core Value:
Be a Problem Solver
In today’s professional world, the ability to tackle challenges head-on and offer innovative solutions is invaluable. At Human Element, we hold a core value that captures this mindset: “Be a Problem Solver.”
The Guiding Principle:
We proactively identify challenges and bring ideas for solutions to the table.
At the heart of “Be a Problem Solver” is our commitment to proactively identifying challenges and contributing constructive ideas for solutions. This principle is our North Star.
Whether it’s deciding the best strategy for a client’s website or tackling an internal issue like developing a better way of writing project tickets, it encourages us to have a default mindset that focuses on finding a solution, rather than just reporting the problem.
Behavior Examples:
- Bring issues and topics to meetings.
Actively engaging in discussions by bringing pertinent issues and topics to the table is a key aspect of being a problem solver. By fostering an open and communicative environment, we ensure that challenges are not overlooked but instead become opportunities for growth and improvement. - Participate in idea generation.
Innovation is born out of collaboration and diverse thinking. Being a problem solver means actively participating in the generation of ideas. By contributing to brainstorming sessions, each team member becomes a catalyst for positive change. - Be resourceful – research issues on your own.
A problem solver is inherently resourceful. Taking the initiative to research and understand challenges independently not only demonstrates a proactive mindset but also equips individuals with the knowledge needed to propose effective solutions. - If it’s broken, fix it.
This simple yet powerful mantra embodies the essence of being a problem solver. Rather than waiting for issues to resolve themselves, our team members take ownership and initiative to fix what’s broken, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. - Collaborate with others to solve issues together that impact cross-functions.
Many challenges span across departments. Being a problem solver involves collaborating with colleagues from various functions to address complex issues collectively. This collaborative approach ensures a holistic and comprehensive perspective when devising solutions. - Be curious and ask questions – “Are we solving the right problem?” “What is the problem statement?”
Curiosity is the driving force behind innovation. We operate with a mindset that questions assumptions and digs deep to ensure we’re addressing the root causes of challenges, rather than just their symptoms.
At Human Element, being a problem solver is not just a core value, it’s a way of life. By embodying the principles of proactive identification of challenges and the continuous pursuit of innovative solutions, we create an environment where each team member contributes to the collective success of our organization.
