When you define your company's core values you empower your whole team and establish clear expectations for your customers. Defining your values allows you to best use resources, sustain engagement and achieve team-based excellence because your values are used and tested every day - with every decision.

One of the top reasons people love and excel at the work they do is when they feel in-sync with the company's core values. And, not only does this build employee loyalty, it's also one of the top drivers of customer loyalty and satisfaction. Let us help you define the values your company represents. For example:

• For your employees, "What is unique about working here?” and "What values build stronger loyalty?"
• For your customers, "What emotional and tactical needs are you satisfying?" and "What build stronger loyalty?"

Values guide a firm’s actions, unite its employees and defines its brand. Examples of where you apply your values include:

• Key Strategic Decision Making
• Hiring New Employees and Internal Promotion (including on-boarding of new employees)
• Refocusing Employees after a Period of Change and Innovation
• Build Morale and a Sense of Team by Focusing On Indicators of High-Engagement and Pride
• Support how your company manages Reward, Recognition and the Performance Review process
• Company Code of Conduct - Guide Employees Actions
• Key Messages for Internal and External Communication
• Continuous Employee Engagement / Professional Development
• Continuous Customer Feedback and Engagement
• Guide R&D

An example of 3 Values and how they are applied:

1. Learning and Growing: Knowledge leads to experience... and we want both... for ourselves and our clients. We believe this builds passion.
2. Innovation: We want everyone to be an explorer and to bring their ideas forward. We believe that asking questions and trying new things is the way we stay innovative and responsive to our clients needs and our employees needs... which builds loyalty.
3. Transparency: We share openly with our employees, clients and community. We believe transparency helps us build trust and makes us all stronger.

This Is How We Help You Develop Your Values Statement...

Defining your values takes more than 30 minutes and should not be done in isolation by your owner / president.

... If You Only Have 1 Day or 2.

We can get a lot done in a 1-day session when we have the right people in the room. There are many times when we have a highly-connected Executive Team we can generate fantastic results and a coordinated strategy including a Values-short-list. Our goal is to always include a description of, 'Why these company values are important,' and 'How these values can be 'lived' but the company team.'

... If You Have a Few Weeks... or More.

This is ideal. If you have a few weeks the process can be even better because then there is opportunity to do research with employees (for internal discovery) and customers. When you have a few weeks the Executive Team can also go back to their teams and get their preliminary feedback to the planned approach. 

A Sample Process:

• Purpose: Set your intention. What are your objectives? How do you imagine you will use the knowledge and insight you acquire? How will your leadership team be accountable during and following the exercise?
• Discover: External and Internal. To gather the best possible information, conduct internal research by speaking with employees and 'hearing their stories' at every level and in every department. We also highly recommend hearing the stories of clients and suppliers. These can be one-on-one interviews, surveys and/or facilitated group sessions.
• Distill: Once Discovery is completed, a dedicated internal - often executive team that represent all departments begin to rank, quantify and organize the information received into. It is not uncommon to unwise to include individuals representing your employees and other stakeholders in this process.
• Draft: A preliminary, unpolished draft of the values and what they mean is always important. Whether the team has time to take this back to their teams - or if they re-work them during the same session it's always good to draft your values first. One trick I recommend if we are time-crunched is to have some employees and other stakeholders join the executive team for an hour as the Executive introduce the values and get direct - immediate feedback. After the hour, the Executive goes back and makes revisions based on the feeeback they received. This refined document becomes the your company's core values.
• Launch: The big reveal should remind your employees that they were a key part of the process and that these values were defined by them. Let your employees know exactly how and why each of the values are important - and how they can be used to guide their code-of-conduct in all internal and external decisions and behaviours.

The purpose of the values exercise is to bring awareness and purpose to your companies strategy and your employees efforts. It defines what success and excellence look like to you. It expresses your vision for where you want to be in the future and it reflects your values, goals, and purpose and how you want to operate.

Our approach is rooted in careful attention and listening to the smallest detail. As an outside voice - and an expert in Leadership and Communication, BMC is able to help you focus and refocus discussions while engaging (and entertaining), your teams.

The Difference between Values, Mission Statements and Vision Statements

Values are a summary of the guiding principles of the organization. They define what the organization stands for and gives employees a clear indication of how to act and why… and gives customers a clear indication of what the organization stands for and what they can expect.

A Mission Statement is present-oriented. It is a short statement that communicates the organization’s reason for being – its purpose and on a macro-level, how it fulfills that purpose.

A Vision Statement is future-oriented. It is a short statement that communicates the organizations purpose and aspirations for the future.

Want to learn more about our Values Definition workshop or our other services?

If you want to learn more about how you and your organization can benefit from our services, call us at 416.617.0462.

We work to build long-term, collaborative relationships that maximize your overall success and earnings.

GIVE US A CALL. WE'LL LISTEN.
BRUCE MAYHEW CONSULTING IS STRATEGIC, BRANDED, AND RELEVANT.

Copyright © 2018 by Bruce Mayhew.

Contact Us About Defining Your Company's Core Values.

Let's do something special together to inspire your team and your customers.
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