Integrity. Care. Quality. Innovation. Hard work. These are the Core Values that Ultradent proudly stands for. But of the many wonderful and virtuous ideals a person or company can strive to emulate, why were these particular values chosen? How was the decision to choose these Core Value” made in the first place?
In response to this question, Dr. Dan Fischer, president and CEO of Ultradent Products Inc. replies, “If you don’t have a common language, you can’t communicate. Yes, Ultradent always had our vision of ‘Improving Oral Health, Globally’, albeit not yet formalized. I mean, I remember clear back to the beginnings of the company when I was trying to get FDA approval for Ultradent’s very first product, and my argument was always that Astringedent® improves oral health. It makes dentistry better! It provides greater longevity to the restoration and makes possible a superior fitting restoration.”
However, around 16 years ago, Dr. Fischer said that beyond Ultradent’s initial vision to improve oral health globally, the company needed to determine more specific and concrete values that it would stand for.
So, Dr. Fischer says, it began with a committee of approximately 30 employees from various departments who represented a wide variety of job titles within the company—some appointed, and some volunteers—that gathered on a weekly bases to brainstorm and ultimately decide what values best capture not only what Ultradent stands for, but the values that would best help us fulfill our overall mission to improve oral health, globally.
Dr. Fischer says, “I remember walking into one of the brainstorming sessions and there was whiteboard after whiteboard filled with various values, and I remember saying, ‘Guys, we’ve got to whittle this down.’ So, the next time I came back they had narrowed it to maybe 50, then 30, and finally, altogether, we decided on the five core values that best represent what our company is about. We felt that five Core Values were enough to really cover what we believed in, but still short enough that it would be easy for people to remember them.”
He adds,
“We ultimately decided on integrity, care, quality, innovation, and hard work because we felt they identified who we were. We, as in Ultradent.”
Here’s a deeper look into Ultradent Core Values, and what they mean:
Integrity:
• Honest
• Courageous
• Responsible
Care:
• Emphasis on “Human Care,” including health, differences, diversity, compassion, relationships, and life balance.
Quality:
• Products
• Work environment with happiness, care, and respect to both internal and external customers
Innovation:
• Creative
• Flexible
• Savvy
• Abhorrence of cynicism
Hard Work:
• Persistence with knowledge and passion for known goals
• Brain “sweat” and muscle “sweat” are both golden
• “It’s not my job” doesn’t exist