Creating Company Core Values

Developing a strong set of core values is key to creating a vibrant culture within your organization.

Enter your core values. Your core values are the scaffolding of your foundation. They are the rules of engagement for how to achieve your mission and vision. Core values lay expectations and tell your employees the behaviors that are appropriate in every situation.

GET YOUR EMPLOYEES INVOLVED

Your mission and vision statements will likely come from you as the leader or founder of the organization. Your core values, however should be vetted through your employees. Start by coming up with a list that you think exemplifies the culture you are trying to create and then ask for a reaction from your staff.

Pose this question to them: “Is this an accurate reflection of what makes us special?”

USE CATCH PHRASES

It’s pretty common for an organization to develop its own catch phrases as the culture is being developed. These catch phrases are great to incorporate into your core values because they capture the culture and embody what makes you so special.

DESCRIBE EACH VALUE

Once you get all of your sound bytes down, write 3-5 sentence descriptions for each one to provide more clarity. Your descriptions should be short, but help to establish the expectations for each of your “rules of engagement”. Remember, these are your expectations and guidelines.

EXAMPLES OF COMPANIES WITH EFFECTIVE CORE VALUES

GOOGLE

• Focus on the user and all else will follow.

• It’s best to do one thing really, really well.

• Fast is better than slow.

• Democracy on the web works.

• You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer.

• You can make money without doing evil.

• There’s always more information out there.

• The need for information crosses all borders.

• You can be serious without a suit.

• Great just isn't good enough.