When thinking about corporate values words like teamwork, excellence, or integrity might pop up. Nonetheless, what do these words mean? Do they even mean something to a company and its people? Or are they just pretty words to fill a blank space on an about us section of their page?
Let’s be honest; some companies probably wrote their core values list at a meeting with their executive board just to fill a gap, and they never discussed them again. Others might have had good intentions when writing them, but they simply don’t align with the reality of their company.
But in any case, having these words placed somewhere at the office or the web page without having them mean something can be very harmful. If the core values are just generic and empty words, they can create a cynical environment within the company and its employees.
Imagine the company professes teamwork as an important value, but in general, employees don’t have cooperative opportunities or are encouraged to focus only on their part of the project. Wouldn’t that make no sense at all? And how would those employees perceive the company? And even more, what are they presenting to clients?
Corporate values are an important part of the company’s culture. They should be at the center of every action and every decision that is made in the company. They act as behavioral guidelines for the employees. They set your company apart from the competition. And they must be non-negotiable.
Core values are a big part of the company’s identity, and that is what they should represent. They should be deeply ingrained in everything at the company. But hey, we know that we are in an ever-changing world, which means that the things we stood for 5 years ago might not be the same as we do today. That’s completely valid, so as a first thing, we recommend constantly evaluating and adapting them.
Constant Reviewing
Having the same values since the beginning is great if they are true to the company and its reality. They are a source of authenticity and credibility. And even if they are still the same or feelings have changed, it is good to check on them now and then.
Ask yourself what your values are. Are they still priority ones? Are we living up to them? Are they still meaningful after two years of remote work? Do I want to achieve something different now? And that is where adaptation comes to play its part. We adapt, whether our list of values, to align with our new vision or our teams to be the loyal representation of them.
Define and talk
Be clear about what you mean with every value. Research is helpful, you can gather as much information as you feel is needed, but afterward, it is important to analyze all that information and put together a definition for your own use, that describes the real meaning for the company. Having the crystal clear is the first step to communicating them to your teams.
At Freelance Latin America we took in our hands the job to make sure all our freelancers knew about and understood our core values. When we started making the freelancer of the month ceremonies, we dedicated the first ones to give a workshop about each of our core values and rewarded the freelancer that best represented said value. This way, we shared what we mean by each of those words and our expectations of our freelancer in regard to them.
Look for them everywhere
If you found the right set of values for your company, it is time to look at every company-related action through their lens. For example: Let’s say you have innovation as a core value, that needs to shine through from the recruitment process, by using cutting-edge methods, to the promotions criteria, and so on.
That is one of our core values, and we can say that it is not easy to live up to it, but we keep it in mind with every move, like when we are remodeling an office and we try to equip it with the latest tech available. With every process, we have to be innovating, we procure to make our onboarding processes a new experience every time, and to improve with every freelancer we welcome.
Giving real meaning to a list of values is not the easiest task. You have to live up to them with each step and be aggressively authentic. But it is a fight worth fighting every day. When a company is true to its values, it’s impossible not to see it, and when one is true to oneself, others can trust you, because they know you are being honest.
And to have the trust of our freelancers and clients is one of the greatest gifts and responsibilities one can have. What are you waiting for to be authentic?
See more articles by Laura Navarro.
