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:

  1. 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?
  2. 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?
  3. 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.
  4. 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)
  5. 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.
  6. 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."
  7. 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.
  8. 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
  9. 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

  1. Innovate: We encourage experimentation, creativity, and calculated risk-taking to drive growth and improvement.
  2. Collaborate: We work together as a team to achieve our goals, valuing open communication, trust, and mutual respect.
  3. Deliver: We strive to exceed customer expectations by providing exceptional service, quality, and reliability.
  4. Learn: We embrace continuous learning, seeking feedback, and adapting to change to stay ahead of the curve.
  5. 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.