The core values of a business are fundamental to everything you do. These values mean that everyone working under the same roof understands the ultimate goals they are working towards. Most businesses now understand the importance of defining their core values. However, these shouldn’t be something that you set at your annual strategic review, post on your website, and then forget about.
Setting your values is only the beginning. What most businesses struggle with is implementing these core values in their daily work. While most of your employees are aware of the core values, do they know how to implement them as part of their daily work? Your business’ values should be reflected in each and every thing you do, from the way your staff answer the phone to your marketing and outreach.
As a business owner, manager, or leader, it is your responsibility to ensure that your core values are implemented in your business’ everyday practices. Here are some of the best ways you can put your core business values into everyday practices.
1. Set an Example
Anyone playing a leadership role in the business needs to lead by example, and this is especially so when it comes to values. If you want your team to follow and implement the business’s core values, you need to model these values yourself first and foremost. If you want people to follow your company values, you need to set precedent. When they see you in action they are sure to follow your example!
2. Train Your Employees through Orientation
You cannot expect your employees to learn everything they need to know, including your business’ core values, through osmosis. You need to offer proper training for your employees. This should include comprehensive orientation of new employees to explain your core business values and how they can be implemented in practice. It is also much easier for your employees to understand your business values when they are explained the right way.
3. Frequently Remind Your Employees
While orientations are a great way to introduce your employees to your business’ core values, you shouldn’t let it stop there. It is important to continually remind your staff what they are working towards. One way to do this is through internal newsletters that reinforce company values and act as subtle reminders for your employees.
4. Incentivize Value-Centric Practices
If you want all your employees to follow and implement your core business values on a day to day basis, you need to incentivize positive behaviour. In this way, you reward team members that take these values seriously, not only reinforcing this behaviour, but also encouraging others to do the same. Everyone loves recognition and rewards, so make sure you come up with incentives, whether monetary or otherwise, to motivate your employees.
5. Consider your Core Values when Hiring New Employees
It is important to make sure that the people you hire reflect your business’ fundamental in their own. Hiring someone who identifies with your business’s work culture and values is the easiest way to make sure they implement these core values in their daily work. This way, everything you want your employees to do at work will come to them naturally, without you needing to put in any additional effort!
6. Practice Values during Sales
It is also essential that you implement your core values in everything you do, and this includes client interactions. The best way to do this is to create proposals that reflect the core values of your business and convey these values to your clients loud and clear so that they are aware of how you carry out your business. This will also motivate your employees to put your business’ core values into practice.
7. Have Consequences for Violating Core Values
While incentivizing good behaviour is a great way to instil core values in your employees, you sometimes need to practice negative reinforcement. Your employees need to understand that your business’ core values are not something they can take lightly.
You should take serious action against those who choose to violate your company’s core values. Your employees need to realize that there will be serious consequences to any misconduct. You could have a system where you give out a set number of warnings to offenders first, and failure to heed such warnings leads to more serious consequences and even termination.
Final Thoughts
Your core values should not just be shiny statements that you post on your website or put up on the walls of your office. They should be things that truly underlie everything your business does, even the small and boring things. Things like properly disposing of your business’ waste through phs Wastekit may seem mundane, but this shows that you care about your staff member’s health and safety and so want to provide them with a safe work environment.
Values also need to be reinforced from time to time. However, instead of taking severe measures, you can gradually start reinforcing these values in your workplace. This will make things easier for your employees.