When was the last time you read your organization’s core values? If you can’t remember, or haven’t revisited them over the past few weeks right now is the perfect time to do so. Right now, it is more important than ever to lean into your core values as a company to help guide decisions and maintain relationships–both internally and externally.
Once you have taken a few minutes to review your core values, here are 5 actionable things you can do right now to lean in to your values to keep your company culture strong:
1) Reinforce the values in all communication
If you have your core values written out send them out in an email to your entire team, department or company. Find ways to use this terminology in regular internal communications both digitally and verbally. For example, send out a weekly email that highlights one core value and simple ways that value can be practiced in everyday work, or use them to format your one on ones to reinforce their importance to the organization.
2) Recognize & reward value-centric behaviors
Right now, most of our work environments look very different than they did a month ago. If your company already has a consistent dialogue around core values this is a great opportunity to find ways to recognize value-centric behaviors to keep your team motivated and engaged. Try sending a personal note to a handful of people who are exemplifying one or more of your core values right now and thank them for their commitment. If you’re not already speaking about your core values in internal communications, it might take incentives to jump start the culture. After you’ve shared a written copy with everyone, try recognizing value-centric behaviors on the spot and talk about it with your team. Sending out a gift card or small gift as a thank you to those who adopt and practice the values is another great way to keep your team engaged.
3) Appoint a Core Values Captain
Consistency is key when it comes to celebrating core values and company culture. If you work within a larger organization or just don’t have the time to personally commit to implementing new initiatives, consider appointing a Core Values Captain (or any title you see fit). This person–or committee–can help keep your core values top of mind in your organization. Look for someone on your team who is energized by and exemplifies your company’s values and who is also respected by their peers.
4) Get everyone involved!
Empower your team to get involved by giving them a platform to recognize and encourage their peers. Studies show that ongoing peer to peer feedback has a positive impact on performance metrics like productivity, loyalty and overall well being. Try implementing something simple like a Slack channel specifically for team members to recognize each other for values-based actions and behavior.
5) Have a tangible representation of your core values
Having a physical reminder of your company’s values acts as a daily reminder that your work has meaning and value. Maybe they were posted in your office, but where are they now? Consider creating and sending a nice printed card to your team. Or think about sending them an easy to ship, useful item with a thoughtful message that reinforces the company’s values. Engaged employees show up every day with passion, purpose, presence, and energy.
The purpose of core values are to take what makes you truly great, codify it into a decision-making framework, and empower everyone in the entire organization to push the company forward toward its mission with every decision that they make. It’s an investment that pays off every single time somebody in the company makes an important decision.
We would love to hear how your organization celebrates company culture and puts your core values into action. Share your story with us hello@creative.promo! If your company doesn’t have a functioning set of core values, we can help. Get in touch with us here for more information.
