Michael Dudley
3/24/2015
Wells Fargo Culture
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Wells Fargo & Company has an extremely in depth culture that has solidified its success
for over 163 years. Wells Fargo as of last December is the largest bank in the U.S. by
market capitalization and the fourth largest by assets. The first artifact I identified was
the Wells Fargo historic six-horse stagecoach. From 1852 until 1918 Wells Fargo used
the team of horses and stagecoach to deliver important business to their clients. If the
cargo was of utmost important a Wells Fargo Treasure Box could be found, but inly
under the driver’s seat. This green box would carry gold bars, architectural drafts,
important legal documents and a variety of valuable items. The drivers of these
stagecoaches would always have a loaded shotgun, ready to tangle with bandits and
whatever else out in the western plains. After Wells Fargo used the stagecoach for such
a crucial and dangerous part of their young business it has become of huge symbol of
their culture.
Wells Fargo’s headquarters is located in San Francisco, California. Wells Fargo has many
impressive towers across the nation. The One Wells Fargo Center is located in Charlotte,
North Carolina. This building is the headquarters of Wells east coast division. The Center
stouts an impressive 42 floors and stands at 588 feet tall, with just under a million
square feet inside.
The surrounding of the One Wells Fargo Center is right in the middle of the queen’s
crown, 301 South College Street. Charlotte is the county seat and administration center
for the state of N.C. Charlotte is also my hometown and I have loved living there since I
was a child. I hope to work in Charlotte after graduation, I hope to have an opportunity
to work in the One Wells Fargo Center.
Wells Fargo’s current slogan is “Together we will go far”. According to the Wells Fargo
website the slogan is tied to the Stagecoach trademark, its customers benefit, and itself
in a way. This new slogan was unveiled to change from “The Next Stage” after the
acquisition of Northwest Corporation in 1998. I feel as though the new slogan was
meant to bond to two companies after a tough merger to strive together for mutual
success.
Kathy Weiser, a contributor for the Legends of America website, wrote a detailed report
and short story on the journeys of the Wells Fargo Stagecoaches. One short story read:
“During these fast and furious stagecoach heydays, Wells Fargo also became the
primary focus of bandits and thieves. One of the most famous of these was Black Bart,
who robbed 28 stages before he was finally apprehended. But Black Bart was just one
of the many men who attempted to make a career of robbing stage coaches; others
included the James-Younger Gang, the Red Jack Gang, "Rattlesnake Dick,” and dozens of
others. During the 1860’s alone, the company suffered 313 stagecoach holdups totaling
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to the amount of $415,000” (p. 2). Wells Fargo seems to come from rough beginning
and were obviously able to persevere and become the power house they today.
Although the team members at Wells Fargo may not consider it a ritual, the Annual
Report is a huge deal for the financial services industry. This report consists of all the
important financial statements that an investor or anyone seeking information can find
very useful. Keeping investors and clients satisfied with who is handling their money is
essential for this bank to stay in business.
An espoused value of Wells Fargo’s culture is its vision statement which reads, “We
want to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.”
The Vision section of the Wells Fargo website also bolded the following statement,
“We’ll never put the stagecoach ahead of the horses.” Wells Fargo seems to stay true to its
roots to this day.
Wells Fargo also have 5 main values that the company strives to live by every day. These values
are, People as a competitive advantage, Ethics, What’s Right For Customers, Diversity and
Inclusion, and Leadership. Wells Fargo states that these values should be the anchor for every
conversation spoken all the way to the services and products provided.
Wells Fargo has an excellent article are their website describing how they view culture as “One
Wells Fargo”. A statement that stood out to me was, “We define “culture” as knowing what you
need to do when you come to work in the morning without having to read a manual or be told
what to do. Culture is the attitude we bring to work every day— the pattern of thinking and
acting with the customer in mind. It’s the habit of doing the right things, and doing things right.”
Wells Fargo’s company outlook on culture really look in the best interest of their customers and
team members, without them working together there would be no business.
Wells Fargo has a set of official current goals. These goals are, Revenue Goal: Wells
Fargo is a growth company that believes the key to the bottom line is the top line.
The Financial Goal: We measure our financial success by the financial success of our
customers. Our goal for every customer: A plan. Our goal for our stock: If we do what’s
right for our team members, customers and communities, then— and only then—will we earn
sustained profits and have our shareholders see us as a great investment. These goals continue
the trend of extreme customer care and empathy to their wants and needs.
Wells Fargo’s Culture blends very wells with the values and standards that I try to uphold
throughout my life. Integrity is one of my top values, one of our family rules is, Never Tell A Lie.
After researching Wells Fargo it is obvious that ethical business practices and integrity is one of
their most valued priorities. Wells Fargo’s outlook on culture on the workplace also interested
me. The fact that they expect that employees should know what to do and how to do it the
right way every time speaks volumes. This shows that Wells Fargo is definitely running a tight
ship. I firmly believe that if your name is going to be on a project, work assignment or anything
else it should reflect how you want to portray yourself to others. Personally I want to maintain
the integrity of my name. Wells Fargo also wants the company culture to maintain their good
name as well. I strongly believe that Wells Fargo & Company would be an excellent fit for me
and my personal values and work ethic. I would like to work in the wealth brokerage and
retirement division after graduation. I am looking forward to the opportunity and hope that
they think I am a great fit as well.
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Works Cited
http://www.wellsfargohistory.com/archives/
https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/
https://www.wellsfargo.com/
The company's current tagline, "Together we'll go far" also references the stagecoach motif, its
customers, and represents the company name itself in a transposed way