Culture is to recruiting as product is to marketing. A Great Product attracts Customers Naturally.
So What Are Core Values?
A set of shared beliefs, values, and practices. Think of them as the Operating System for your Company.
Okay, But Why Do I Need Them?
You should Obsess with your culture; like a product, your company culture is a product. Whether you create Culture intentionally or not, all Companies always have a culture. So why not create a culture you, your employees, and your Customers will love?
How do I start?
Gather the Key Leadership and relevant Stake Holders together for a meeting. This will take a bit of time, and it is best to do it where you can ensure little distraction and low disruption. Your Core Values won't change, so you should put your heart and attention into them, so they are representative. Someone will need to ask the following questions of each attendee, and someone should record each individual's response.
If an Individual on your team has a role that impacts decision-making, they should attend. And you should drive the conversation forward and elaborate.
- What is most important to us
- What motivates us
- Values that are worth striving
- What gives us guidance and security
- What are our characteristics
Once everyone has weighed in, and answers have been recorded, then we have to create a Mission Statement and Vision Statement and come up with 5 Core Values. This could be an acronym for the letters in your company name. RBP - Reliable, Bold, Passionate. But the more thought your put into it, the more profound the statement. Resist the urge to simply find words to fit into your company's name.
Core Values
Now, this is where you can start thinking bigger. You didn’t just make a product or service at random, you most likely were motivated by a set of core values.
Core values are deeply ingrained principles that guide a company’s actions.
Mission Statement
A mission statement is an action-oriented statement declaring the purpose an organization serves to its audience. It often includes a general description of the organization, its function, and its objectives.
- Explain your company’s product or service offering.
- Identify the company’s core values.
- Connect how your company's offering aligns with your values.
- Condense these statements into one.
- Make sure it’s clear, concise, and free of fluff.
Vision Statement
A mission statement clarifies what the company wants to achieve, whom they want to support, and why they want to support them. On the other hand, a vision statement describes where the company wants a community, or the world, to be as a result of the company's services. Thus, a mission statement is a roadmap for the company's vision statement.