Starting with values

Core values are part of your organization’s DNA. They define what your organization stands for, highlighting an expected and idealized set of behaviors and skills.

Your organization’s values lie at the core of its culture. Values are fundamental, enduring, and actionable. Driving priorities and decisions, values help determine how an organization spends its time (and money).

But before even figuring them out, you should know two things:

1. There is no unique right way to do it. While there are some guidelines, every organization has its own story when it comes to finding it’s values.
2. It’s not just about coming up with your values. It’s about living them.

So, how can you actually find your organization’s values? Here is one example:

Like with any good event planning, you can begin by establishing your intention: use the event/meeting/workshop to bond as an organization and define your core values. For example, you can go on a hike in a nearby park or other applicable spot in nature and follow it up by your values workshop over a campfire (obviously don’t try this if you don’t have experienced fire starters around).

There are a few benefits with going about the process in this way:

For one, timing the workshop after a few hours of hiking and bonding can help you get in the right mindset for discussing organization values.

Additionally, by choosing a setting that is separate from your everyday surroundings, you will be able to clear out your minds and focus on what is important.

Finally, if you are into mysticism or forces of the Universe, you could say that defining your core values while building a fire is powerfully symbolic– building and keeping a fire is a key driver of civilization, and your values are a core driver of your organization.

☞ As for the workshop itself, the process can look like this:

1. Throw out an idea about some value and discuss it;

2. Write it down if there is potential of the idea and continue to discuss;

3. Repeat;

4. Regroup values and read aloud what you have so far;

5. Discuss again to refine and check for overlap;

6. Sit on your list of values in a week time and refine again.

☞ Here were some questions that can guide your thinking:

• What’s important to us?

• What brought us all together and continues to hold us together?

• What are the things you like about what we do at our organization and how we do it?

• What parts of our organization are we proud of?

☞ Here are some questions that can guide your refining:

• Is this something we’ll still believe in 5 years? 10 years?

• Is this something that we are willing to choose our employees/volunteers on?

• Is this something we can apply to relations with our stakeholders/donors? Or internal development? Or project development? Or all?

Finally, you should end up with something similar to a list of what you consider most important values and here are also some examples from some world famous commercial companies as inspiration :

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow;
2. It’s best to do one thing really, really well;
3. Fast is better than slow;
4. Democracy on the web works;
5. You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer;
6. You can make money without doing evil;
7. There’s always more information out there;
8. The need for information crosses all borders;
9. You can be serious without a suit;
10. Great just isn’t good enough.

1. I build strong relationships and create Ritz-Carlton guests for life.
2. I am always responsive to the expressed and unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests.
3. I am empowered to create unique, memorable and personal experiences for our guests.
4. I understand my role in achieving the Key Success Factors, embracing Community Footprints and creating The Ritz-Carlton Mystique.
5. I continuously seek opportunities to innovate and improve The Ritz-Carlton experience.
6. I own and immediately resolve guest problems.
7. I create a work environment of teamwork and lateral service so that the needs of our guests and each other are met.
8. I have the opportunity to continuously learn and grow.
9. I am involved in the planning of the work that affects me.
10. I am proud of my professional appearance, language and behavior.
11. I protect the privacy and security of our guests, my fellow employees and the company’s confidential information and assets.
12. I am responsible for uncompromising levels of cleanliness and creating a safe and accident-free environment.

1. Let’s be great. Build great product, tell a great story, provide great service, and build a great team.
2. Integrity. Without it we cannot be a team.
3. No one person is bigger than the brand—Team. No athlete either.
4. Make one dollar spend like three. We must be creative with the resources we have.
5. Help others. Volunteerism and serving others are vital parts of our mission.
6. Walk with a purpose. Everything we do is part of a deliberate, long-term strategy/vision. Know where you’re going.
7. Protect the UA culture, but embrace change. Evolve and innovate. We’re a different company every 6 months, and we can’t use culture as an excuse to not change product, process, or people.
8. Be humble and stay hungry. Nobody’s going to give us anything. We have to earn it every day.

Notice how all of the above values are specific and actionable. They help define culture and encourage a specific type of behavior within each organization.

https://scottjeffrey.com/company-core-values/