Individuals and businesses operate largely under the guidance of values. You likely make decisions and pursue actions based on your personal values. Successful businesses establish and follow their core values, too.
Core values are beliefs your business follows in all aspects of operations. They guide decision-making and define what your business stands for. Business values can heavily influence your brand identity, or how outsiders view your company.
But, if you and your employees fail to uphold your core values, you could face bemused or disappointed customers. Because of this, you must create a company culture that embodies and stays true to your core values.
How To Create A Company Culture Around Your Core Values
First, let’s touch base on what corporate culture is. Company culture can be difficult to put into words, but it is oftentimes synonymous with your business environment. The employees you hire, the office rules you set, the way you do business, and the values that guide you make up your company culture.
For most businesses, company culture takes time to develop. But, there are some steps you can take to make sure your company culture stays true to the business values you set.
1. Nail Down Your Core Values
First thing’s first: you need core values to create a successful company culture. If core values aren’t established and ingrained in your company, you won’t have a widespread corporate culture, and each employee will do their own thing.
I put off creating my business’s core values for a long time. I thought it would be a difficult process and had no idea where to start. But when I finally sat down to come up with core values for Patriot Software, it took me about 20 minutes.
To create your core values, think about your personal core values, your business’s purpose, and your star performers (if you already have employees). You can even involve employees in coming up with core values.
So, what are some examples of core values? Things like integrity, self-discipline, and commitment are all examples of core values. Of course, you want to tailor core values to fit your business.
My company shows off its core values on its website. That way, everyone can know what we stand for. Like a mission statement, our core values are our guiding principles that drive what we do and how we do it. Take a look at Patriot’s three core values:
- In everything we do, we put back (i.e., give) more than we take.
- We do what needs to be done without taking shortcuts.
- In everything we do, we follow the Golden Rule. (This means that we treat others how we would want to be treated: customers, co-workers, competitors, etc.)
You might already be operating under an unspoken set of core values. If that’s the case, define them, write them down, and officially establish them in your business.
Update your core values as your business grows, but don’t disfigure them to the point that your values and business become unrecognizable.
2. Follow Your Core Values
Once you nail down your core values, practice them every day. The only way to create a corporate culture that embodies your core values is if they guide your decisions.
You can set goals to see if your business follows its core values. And, you can pass out surveys to employees and customers to help you judge whether you are sticking to your core values or not.
One important part of a company culture is the employees you hire. If you want your company culture to truly embody your core values, hire employees who respect and reflect your values. Follow your core values when going through the hiring process. List them in the job description, ask interview questions that center around your core values, and distribute job-fit tests. Don’t hire candidates who have dissimilar core values, or they could be a bad fit for your company culture.
Don’t pick and choose situations where you follow your core values. For example, if one of your core values is to be original, don’t copy from competitors, even if it’s a tiny detail. If you show employees that there are exceptions to following core values, you set a poor example that could alter your company culture.
3. Ingrain Core Values In Your Business
Your company culture will embody your core values if you ingrain them in your business. As stated, your core values will guide your decisions. And, they will also define the rules you set, how you lead your employees, and how you deal with customers.
Everyday things like setting business hours, determining employee benefits for small business, and communicating with customers dictate your corporate culture. So, ingrain your values in these decisions from the start.
A good place to start is by creating an employee handbook. Include your core values in the handbook. Doing so will also help you define your company culture. Set expectations employees must meet.
When bringing on new employees, don’t skip onboarding and training. These are great opportunities for you to set the tone. Let new hires meet current employees. Have employees help with training programs.
Establish business processes that are based on your core values. For example, one of your core values is that your business is thorough. You can require employees to document their work or use programs that check for accuracy.
4. Remind Employees Of Core Values
Talking about your core values periodically can also help you to implement them in your corporate culture.
You can send out monthly newsletters that showcase employees who are successful in following your business’s values. Also, you can bring up core values in goals meetings and determine whether you are reaching goals. And, you can discuss core values during employee performance reviews.
Show your values off to everyone. Don’t hide them in the corner of your small business. Frame them and hang them on the wall for employees and customers to see. Post them on your website, on your social media pages, and on any other digital front you can.
Patriot’s core values are proudly displayed on televisions we have around the office. They act as a little reminder to employees what we’re all about. And, it helps me retain sight of our values as well.
