Core values. Mission statement. Culture. Blah, blah, blah. I've probably lost most of you already. Nearly every company states them, and honestly, I've never paid attention to any of it. What I pay attention to is what my leaders and managers actually do.
Most of us couldn't care less about stated core values because they're not reflected in our team or company cultures, rendering them meaningless. But despite my skepticism, when I first started to hire and build the TechBeacon.com team, I wanted to clearly define the values for our team to embrace.
So I put together a list of "core values," or simply "behaviors," that I wanted to be ingrained into our team's DNA. Hopefully, I thought, these would become part of our culture over time. It was meant to be a guide for the team's daily decisions. To be fair, I read a lot of different core value statements out there from different companies, and some of them inspired the ones below.
Fast forward about four months, I revisited our initial list of core values and realized it applies to virtually any team, regardless of the type of work or industry. So why not share it publicly? Here's the list of our eight core values that can be applied to any team or organization (not in any particular order):
1. It's all about people
Always is and always will be. People matter more than anything. We care about those we work with and those we serve. We are all about building trust-based relationships and establishing win-win partnerships. We care about results, but not at the expense of people. Everything we do should build trust.
2. We are challengers
Change is the only constant. We don't just realize that, we enthusiastically embrace and drive ongoing change. We challenge the norms and push boundaries. We don't maintain, we multiply. We are bold in what we do.
3. Growth and learning is in our DNA
Our curiosity sparks an endless appetite for learning. We can always be better. We are always pursuing growth on all levels and fronts.
4. We are passionate about our work
We are here to create remarkable experiences. We get things done. Above all, we have passion for what we do, and we are proud of what we accomplish. We are relentless and driven.
5. We envision BIG and start small
We don't welcome small thinking, but we're all about small starts. We are responsible risk-takers. We try new things without losing focus on what really matters. We know that greatness comes from caring about the little day-to-day things. This helps us move fast.
6. We are generous givers, not self-serving takers
We give more than we take. We are always helping. We teach and educate. We are always setting people up for success.
7. We can do a lot more by doing less, better and faster
We always bring our best. It's focused excellence. We are obsessed about quality but with an iterative, fast-paced approach.
8. We will laugh hard, loud, and often
We enjoy our work and we have fun while at it. We don't take ourselves too seriously.
Be intentional about your team's values and culture
What do you think of these eight core values? Is there anything you would add to this list? What do you regularly tell your team?
Feel free to use any of these and adapt them to your team or organization. It's up to each person on your team or in your company to shape the culture. Be intentional and proactive about creating a culture that revolves around great values that will sustain the success and happiness of your team.
I'll leave you with this quote that I love:
"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." —Coach Vince Lombardi
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