Last time around, we explored your company’s story (click here to read more). So, once your company’s vision is locked in, what next? In a nutshell, it’s up to you and your team to live and breathe the values that will pave the way to long-term success.
Remember: organisations don’t make things happen, people do.
But before you can live and breathe these values, you need to develop your company’s core values. How?
1. Think about the values that you can commit yourself to
Remember, leading from the front means leading by example. Don’t be fooled into a false sense of security by your job title: being the Managing Director of a company won’t earn you the respect of your staff. It’s leading by example that will which means that it’s integral to your success that you actually have belief in your company’s values.
Keep in mind: you don’t have to construct these values alone. If you’ve got a second-in-charge or any collaborators / managers, be sure to get their opinion too so that everyone is reading the same book.
2. Document your values and get them out there!
It’s essential that you document your core values – doing so means that you and your employees will always have something to reference whenever lines look to be blurring.
In terms of rolling it all out to your employees, be sure to gauge their reaction. If they are apprehensive to begin with, chances are, you’re going to have issues down the track. Remember, any company’s core values should bring its employees together, not divide them.
3. Instil your values in everything you do
Regardless of whether you’re talking about hiring, firing or conducting performance reviews, your core values need to come into play in everything you do. Rest assured, early on in the picture, your commitment to your values will be tested and determined by your actions.
Make no mistake: defining your company’s values is a hard thing to do. Here at Help Me Choose, we implemented the Amaze Model which was immediately embraced by our employees. Why were we met with such a reaction?
It’s very simple: at its heart, the Amaze Model calls upon 3 values that most of us have grown up with: care, solve and amaze.
At the end of the day, everyone wants to be treated like what we call a VIP – a Very Individual Person. Delving deeper into each value:
Care sees the team being empathetic, listening to one another as well as our customers and delivering on promises.
Solve is all about creating solutions for today and finding a way to say ‘yes’ despite the challenges faced.
Amaze encourages our team to be at their best and make an effort to communicate. In many ways, communication is the lifeblood of any thriving business.
Now, it’s over to you: what are your company’s values and what did you take into account when developing them?
Next, we’ll look at how to keep your staff motivated even at the most challenging of times.
