Refreshing your company values must begin by understanding what your employees truly value. Often, the values set by leadership, marketing teams, or external consultants do not fully resonate with the broader organization.
Remember, a company is a collection of people—often supported by AI and digital tools—but at its core, it’s a group of committed individuals working towards a common goal.
The Importance of Employee-Centric Values
Aligning people based purely on extrinsic motivations—such as financial incentives or profit goals—can be challenging, especially if they have little control over the outcomes and feel disconnected from the organization’s core mission. Discovering what really matters to your team members is crucial.
There are multiple benefits to understanding what your team values. First and foremost, it provides clarity on what drives them. Many companies implement Band-Aid solutions, hoping to increase employee engagement, retain top talent, reduce burnout, and boost well-being.
However, these actions often miss the mark as they are based on generic engagement surveys, which do not capture the holistic view of what truly matters to your employees.
In my forthcoming book, Start With Values, I discuss the power of co-creating collective values. Whether you’re a startup or a company maturing into its next phase, here is a guide to leveraging the real values within your group.
Discovering Core Values
To truly understand your team’s values, encourage them to discover their personal values. Tools like the Values App, created by us at Start With Values, are quick and effective. Research shows that even spending a few minutes discovering personal values can dramatically increase overall well-being. Employees become clearer about what matters to them and how to align their daily actions with their core values.
According to Simon Sinek, author of “Start with Why,” “Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.” By providing employees with a tool to discover their values, you help them gain clarity about their purpose and how to build a fulfilling, meaningful life.
Analyzing Group Values
The next step is to analyze the collective results. While individual clarity is valuable, understanding the group’s shared values provides insights into what the team as a whole prioritizes.
For example, one company discovered that the top shared values were harmony and flexibility, which surprised the executive team. Armed with this knowledge, they implemented flexible working arrangements and focused on harmonious communication, including nonviolent communication training and leadership empathy training. These targeted interventions significantly improved team dynamics and satisfaction.
Addressing Symptoms of Misalignment
High levels of burnout, stress, fatigue, or anxiety often indicate that core values are being violated. For instance, intense work pressure and overload might violate the value of well-being, leading to chronic or acute fatigue. Identifying and understanding core values helps address the root causes of these symptoms.
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, emphasizes the importance of values in leadership: “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” By focusing on your employees’ values, you ensure that their well-being and satisfaction are prioritized.
Integrating Values into Your Company Statement
After gathering group insights, decide whether to integrate some of the most commonly shared values into your official company values statement. While simply providing employees with a tool like the Values App can be a powerful well-being intervention, incorporating these values into your official statement can further increase engagement. This co-creation process demonstrates that the values are not just a top-down initiative but a shared foundation, leading to greater acceptance and enthusiasm.
The Values Pyramid
When incorporating new values, consider the Values Pyramid, which categorizes values into different levels:
- Survival Values: Foundational during high pressure or stress.
- Belonging Values: Ensure the team feels valued and part of a shared reality.
- Growth Values: Emphasize learning, curiosity, and practice.
- Impact Values: Focus on status, prestige, wealth, and recognition.
- Fulfillment Values: Concern legacy, service, and achieving greatness.
Aim to have at least one value from the categories of belonging, growth, impact, and fulfillment, with a maximum of five values to ensure they are memorable and actionable.
Promoting and Integrating Values
Once you’ve defined your values, create a campaign to promote and integrate them into daily operations. Match behaviors to each core value, as values without behaviors are merely ideals. Values paired with specific behaviors become practical tools that improve speed, efficiency, autonomy, trust, and decision-making.
Prioritizing and Operationalizing Values
Consider prioritizing your values to provide clear guidance. Establish a hierarchy and link behaviors, performance review structures, and onboarding processes to these values. This approach ensures that values are not only stated but lived, leading to a robust values-based culture.
Measuring Impact and Continuous Improvement
It’s important to continuously measure the impact of the refreshed values on your organization. Regular feedback loops, employee surveys, and performance metrics can help you assess whether the new values are being effectively integrated and are contributing to the desired outcomes. Adapt and refine your approach based on this feedback to ensure the values remain relevant and impactful.
Leadership’s Role in Value Alignment
Leadership plays a pivotal role in embodying and promoting the company values. Leaders must consistently walk the talk, demonstrating the values through their actions and decisions. This sets a powerful example for the rest of the organization and reinforces the importance of these values.
For example, if care is a value, leaders must ensure that care is as important in guiding their actions as financial returns. As Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, puts it, “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
Ensuring that your company values align with how you treat and train your employees can create a strong, loyal, and motivated workforce.
Case Study: Implementing Values in Practice
A case study from Google illustrates the power of values in driving organizational success. Google’s core value of “Focus on the user and all else will follow” guides their decision-making process and product development. This user-centric approach has been integral to Google’s innovation and success.
Similarly, companies that align their operations and strategies with their core values often see increased employee engagement, higher job satisfaction, and improved overall performance.
Conclusion
Refreshing your company values by involving your employees in the process can transform your organization. It fosters engagement, well-being, and a sense of purpose among team members, aligning them more closely with the company’s mission. By understanding and integrating what truly matters to your employees, you create a more resilient, cohesive, and motivated workforce.
In the words of Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, “Your culture is your brand.” Building a values-based culture not only strengthens your internal operations but also enhances your brand’s reputation and appeal to customers. Start with your employees’ values, and let those values guide your journey toward a more aligned and successful organization.
