Recently, Alice from our reception team saw me walk down the stairs with my Way We Do t-shirt on. She commented on the logo, saying “That reminds me of Wonder Woman!” I felt an immense sense of pride immediately wash over me.
Although the designs are very different, the Way We Do brand is often likened to prestige logos like Volkswagen, Bentley, or Breitling. These brands represent quality, so being associated with these brands places us in the right crowd to hang out with.
But Wonder Woman takes it to another level!
Policies, procedures and processes not only enable businesses to grow and scale, they also protect people from harm, guide us to do the right things, and safeguard businesses and organizations from failure.
Wonder Woman is a warrior and protector of the vulnerable. GRC, aka Governance, Risk and Compliance, also protects people from the corrupt and ignorant.
Procedures and processes do not inherently have good intentions; they must have an essence of morality and principles breathed into them. At the heart of these are core values—what we stand for—and all our decisions must flow from them.
Every day, the Way We Do team gets to work with companies and organizations from around the world that protect people. Whether it be equal employment practices, workplace, health and safety rules, anti-corruption or simply delivering products and services that improve people’s lives. After all, nearly every start-up and scale-up founder wants to change the world!
Warner Bros declares that Wonder Woman is a true heroine. Not only does she demonstrate characteristics of strength, perseverance and fearlessness, she believes she has a sacred duty to uphold the highest standards of humanity and compassion. Our customers strive to attain this also.
Here are 3 principles that ring true for me about Wonder Woman and the characteristics we should aim to radiate from within our policies, procedures and processes.
As leaders within our organizations we must be committed to doing the right thing by our customers, employees, investors and suppliers. We must eliminate misconduct and promote ethical behaviours in our teams. Even if it is off-mission, people come first.
“People are inherently good, though we may be corrupted by forces beyond our control.”
Human beings are complex creatures. We are all good, but sometimes we fall off the band wagon and do things we shouldn’t. By showing kindness and compassion in our workplaces, and not ruling with an iron fist, we encourage people to do the right thing.
However, when people behave in a way that is not congruent with our values and required policies, GRC systems and processes are part of the solution to identify problems, fix them and reduce the risk of them happening again.
“The best way to protect someone is not to shelter them from evil, but to prepare them for it.”
Even when a person does not want to intentionally harm another, it can happen, whether it be through ignorance or accident. We need to educate our teams about what can go wrong and what is considered unacceptable behaviour. Additionally, providing the strategies and tools to prepare them for such events is paramount to protecting one self and others.
