I had the pleasure of attending a Family Business Association event hosted by Kennards Hire last week. The Kennards family were gracious enough to not only host the event, but to also share their amazing story.
Since 1948 this very impressive Business has been built on strong family values…real values that are used to drive decisions and shape behaviour.
When an audience member asked how the Business keeps abreast of innovation, the response was “you can’t have a system/process for everything, but you can have a set of values to define a common way of thinking”.
Since 1948, this values-based approach has driven a remarkable growth story who’s success is measured commercially and culturally. They have grown to 147 branches and the obvious strength of the family bond (no coincidence this is one of their Values) has enabled the business to succeed into generation number 3. Sometimes the commercial and cultural aspects of a Business are considered separate and competing. Kennards have reconciled the two. When something as commercial as product innovation is anchored by your values, that shows the culture is driving the commercial growth.
There are always many gems you glean from listening to extraordinary people, the key over-arching message I took was the respect they had for the past generations and a sense of responsibility for the generations that will follow. Here are a few gems that stood out:
“The decisions we make today are for the generations in 200 years”
“We are custodians”
“Never forget the past, its your best teacher”
An awesome Business with a truly inspiring message!