Today, we are increasingly moving towards a team-based based outlook at work, in comparison to individual roles and contributions. According to a recent survey by Deloitte, 86% of respondents said companies are moving towards a more flexible and team-centric model, in contrast to the traditional hierarchical setup. So, today it’s all about working together as one team.
Have you ever wondered what the secret sauce is that binds a team to work together towards a common goal… it’s shared values!
Shared values are what create trust and bind an organization together. These include both corporate objectives and individual values. According to YourDictionary, “Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization. Core values also help companies to determine if they are on the right path and fulfilling their goals by creating an unwavering guide.”
Do values drive business performance? Or does business performance drive values? Most of us would agree that both are true. So how do we create a culture where we care about our values just as much as we care about our revenue?
Here are some useful tips to help you get an idea and inspiration for creating your own company values.
Have clearly defined values
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To ensure your employees understand your company’s values and vision you should have clearly defined values. In the absence of a clear vision and goal, your company can get itself into real trouble. Every organization has values and a mission statement but how many of them actually follow them? Successful organizations not only have clear and defined values but they also ensure their employees abide by those values.
Teach the values through orientation and training
It’s impractical to simply share your values through an email or list them down in a document and expect your employees to embrace them overnight. You should conduct proper, formal training and orientation sessions to ensure your values are well communicated to each employee in your organization.
Recognize and reward values-centric behaviors
Make sure you recognize and reward those employees who abide by your core values. You can reward them through bonuses, incentives, or similar perks. You can also conduct peer voting and give employees an opportunity to nominate their peers who, according to them, have exhibited a value-centric behavior.
Live and lead by example
Teams always look up to their leader and follow what he or she does. So, it becomes imperative for leaders to ensure they exhibit a behavior that is in line with the core values of the company. Setting core values, and then failing to abide by them is even worse than not having them at all.
