Creating new core values
Creating new core values for your organization can be a powerful way to define your culture, guide decision-making, and inspire your team. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you create new core values:
- Reflect on your organization's purpose and mission: Start by reviewing your organization's purpose, mission, and vision statements. What are your goals and objectives? What kind of impact do you want to make?
- Identify your organization's strengths and values: Think about what your organization does well and what values are already present in your culture. What are your team members proud of? What behaviors do you want to reinforce?
- Gather input from stakeholders: Involve a diverse group of stakeholders, including employees, customers, partners, and leaders, in the process of creating new core values. This can be done through surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one interviews.
- Brainstorm and categorize values: Ask stakeholders to brainstorm a list of values that are important to them. Categorize the values into themes or groups, such as:
- Customer-centric values (e.g., empathy, responsiveness)
- Teamwork and collaboration values (e.g., communication, trust)
- Innovation and creativity values (e.g., experimentation, risk-taking)
- Integrity and ethics values (e.g., honesty, transparency)
- Prioritize and refine values: Review the list of values and prioritize the most important ones. Refine the language to make it concise, clear, and actionable.
- Create a core values statement: Combine the top values into a concise statement that captures the essence of your organization's culture. For example:
- "We value innovation, collaboration, and customer-centricity, and strive to create a culture of experimentation, trust, and continuous learning."
- Develop a values framework: Create a framework that outlines how each core value will be applied in different situations. This can include scenarios, examples, and guidelines for decision-making.
- Communicate and integrate values: Share the new core values with all stakeholders and integrate them into your organization's culture. This can include:
- Displaying the values prominently in your office or website
- Incorporating values into employee onboarding and training programs
- Using values as a framework for decision-making and performance evaluations
- Recognizing and rewarding employees who embody the values
- Monitor and evaluate values: Regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your core values. Solicit feedback from stakeholders and make adjustments as needed to ensure the values remain relevant and impactful.
Example of a core values statement:
Our Core Values
- Innovate: We encourage experimentation, creativity, and calculated risk-taking to drive growth and improvement.
- Collaborate: We work together as a team to achieve our goals, valuing open communication, trust, and mutual respect.
- Deliver: We strive to exceed customer expectations by providing exceptional service, quality, and reliability.
- Learn: We embrace continuous learning, seeking feedback, and adapting to change to stay ahead of the curve.
- Integrity: We conduct ourselves with honesty, transparency, and accountability, upholding the highest ethical standards.
Remember, creating new core values is a process that requires time, effort, and commitment. By following these steps, you can develop a set of values that will guide your organization's culture and inspire your team to achieve great things.