COMMUNITY AT LARGE Every individual is a citizen of some community. Business entities — particularly small businesses — heed the call of citizenship as well and feel a responsibility toward the world beyond their immediate clients. Accountability goes beyond giving back to the community through charitable contributions or donations of time and materials. For John Abrams, author of The Company We Keep and founder of South Mountain Co., a 30-year-old employee-owned design/build company on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., that call is embedded in the company’s culture: “Respect, accountability, and gratitude to the community is a central thread in our business,” Abrams says. “If [a project we] propose doesn’t have more benefits than detriments to all stakeholders [clients, neighborhood, whole community], we’re doing something wrong.”
Martha’s Vineyard, with a year-round population of about 15,000, is a small but ethnically and socioeconomically diverse community. Seasonal residents have as big a stake in the island’s future as its year-round inhabitants. South Mountain Co. makes it a point not only to try to satisfy clients, but to be a good role model. “When we see something that needs to be done, we’ll take on the job,” Abrams says.
Recently, a client wanted to create a home that was a net energy producer, not user. South Mountain Co. planned its design around a particular kind of wind turbine that could satisfy all the home’s loads. Permits were issued and construction was about to begin, but neighbors voted against the plan.
“We figured they couldn’t visualize the project,” Abrams says. The remodeling company decided to erect the same wind turbine at its own office. “People’s fears diminished. Not only will this project go through now, but we’ve already installed a wind turbine at the high school,” he says.
As for South Mountain Co. employees, says Abrams, they wouldn’t work for the company unless they held the same values as Abrams and the other employee-owners. That seems to be the key to all forms of accountability — the way it’s part of a company’s culture from the top down. A company accountable to its employees and the world around it will achieve results — and a better bottom line. “Costs are lower when the owner practices personal accountability,” says QBQ author Miller. “A more positive culture is created when people are creative, productive, and loyal. All of this contributes to less expense and more revenue.”