Several days ago, I spoke with a colleague about a recent contract that I acquired. He was interested to know whether any of my MBE, DBE or WBE certifications was used to secure the contract. In my reply, I quickly informed him that none of my diversity certifications have ever been instrumental in obtaining a contract. That's right. NEVER.
I shared with him the following lessons learned over the years since Levvitate was incorporated. I have encountered two types of partnering companies:
- (A) There are potential partners who hire Levvitate because they understand our capabilities. They view us as exactly what we are--a small company with a large, cross-functional footprint, capable of delivering small to mid-sized projects in our service areas.
- (B) There are potential partners who will only see Levvitate as an add-on because of the diversity certifications. They are looking for someone to check the required box. Those individuals will not hire us in any other capacity because they (1) assume that the company is lacking capabilities because we are a female, minority-owned firm and/or (2) that we are relying on a certification to acquire contracts. Neither is true.
I asked my colleague, So which type of people do you think I would rather work with/for? Fortunately, the project that was the subject of our conversation was with a partner that viewed Levvitate as a type A partner.
It was an incredibly unique and beneficial project that was orchestrated by the owner-partner, and that did not make use of a certification. From the moment I contacted him about software training, I could tell that this potential partner recognized the potential in working together. Although he did mention that the MBE would be useful if we were to work together on projects with the state, as I continued talking with him, I knew that Levvitate would not be an add-on. And I appreciated that.
At the end of the project I completed for the partner, I asked for feedback from the owner and member of his team. Their descriptive adjectives about Levvitate were that we are:
- Responsive
- Worked well with ambiguity
- Delivered a good quality product
I also shared some feedback of my own. I expressed that the working team relationship was enhanced by open communication, clear instructions, availability of the team lead. I listened to them and I felt listened to, also known as mutual-respect. I will look forward an opportunity to collaborate with them again in the future.
