Each company has a set of core values that it strives to maintain in its daily operations. Setting those core values up may seem like a daunting task but if you go into it with the mindset that you’ll succeed, you’ll find that coming up with core values is quite easy.
Create a Team
This step is completely dependent on how large your company is. If you’re the founder of a small startup company, you may want to keep the team small in the beginning. This will help you center your goals and you can roll them out to the rest of the company after they’ve been finalized. If you’re in an executive role at a larger company, you could collaborate with team members and gain beneficial input from them. Regardless of company size, those making the decisions should all be of one thought. The core values and how they are implemented should be at the forefront of each members minds.
Think Tank
Once you have a team set in place, it’s time to start the brainstorming sessions. Scheduling these sessions in advance will give your team proper time to come into the session prepared with ideas. When your team has these ideas prepared, a good practice would be to set them out on the table (literally and figuratively) to point out which value is important to each individual. After that, you would simply add in ideas that you can all agree would make your team and company successful as a unit.
Define
This step would involve taking all of the ideas your team has come up with and combining similar ones and then narrowing down that last. Once you’ve got your list narrowed down, you want to clearly define each value.
Properly Frame Your Values
As an example, if you have an employee base that is majority millennials, then you’ll want to make sure you frame your values in a manner that they can relate to and that inspires them. This gets your employees excited about the vision your team has put together.
Evaluate the Big Picture
Once your values are set, look at them from a big picture stance. Do the values you’ve set forth really showcase your vision for your team and company? These values should be ones that push your team and company to do better as a whole, not just individually.
The core values of a company are what the company will stand for, at the end of the day. Make sure that whatever values you come up with are ones you are willing to adhere to and push through in your daily operations.