Your company culture sets the tone for everything that happens in your workplace, and your company’s principles are its foundation. Learn how to create and identify key values for your business and why consistently implementing them is essential to success.
To the Point: Core values define what your company stands for. Live your core values- don’t just talk about them.
Core values are the set of beliefs and essential principles that guide your company’s decision making and establish your company’s identity, therefore defining your company’s culture and helping determine its priorities and goals.
They also:
- Provide focus, clarity and consistency
- Promote business growth
- Set expectations for employees
- Establish what customers can expect from working with you
- Guide the recruiting and retention process.
Developing Values
Have each of your leadership team members list three people who they believe could take over the world if cloned. These names should preferably come from inside your organization. Post all the names on a whiteboard for the team to see and list the characteristics these people embody.
Your organization’s fundamental values will be somewhere in that list. Now, narrow it down through group discussion and debate. Decide which values really belong and represent the core of your company. Don’t rush this process. It may take several meetings to establish strong core values that will last.
Implementing Values
Once your key principles are defined, you must use them to hire, fire, review, reward and recognize people within your organization. Make time to officially share them with staff members and explain the function these values serve. Discuss them in depth with potential job candidates. When your principles are clear, you’ll find they attract like-minded people to your organization.
Examples of Values:
- We have fun while working hard.
- We take pride in our work.
- We do everything with honesty and integrity
