Foojee's Core Values and How to Share Yours
Last week I shared our revelation about how core values can actually be helpful if used properly. This week I want to share what our values are after 1 year of implementation, and how I shared them.
Spoiler alert. If you're like me, maybe you want your mind to be free of any influences. I'm the weird guy that doesn't like to watch movie trailers for the same reason. If that's you, you can scroll right past these.
- Create Calm: Create the space you want to work in, for us, and for our clients.
- Own it: Ask questions, make a decision, take ownership.
- Be Honest: People over profit.
- Be Hospitable: Anticipating need. Helpful attitude. Focused on who we are working with. Accepting everyone.
- Make it Better: Knowledge seeking, self improving.
How to share them.
Core values fit neatly into the EOS "VTO" (Vision & Traction Organizer), so you may choose to not share until you present your VTO. However, they don't need to be presented at the same time. The only advice I'll give here comes from my own initial insecurity: Don't be apologetic when you share them. If your company doesn't stand by something, then what does it stand for? Be proud of them and let everyone know that these came from years of experience seeing what has helped your company get to where we are now.
Set the expectation that the core values will be used in more of the operations moving forward. And you can share examples that you will celebrate when core values are seen, and these will now be use for annual performance evaluations. And ask for feedback! It's important to create these with leadership, but then it's equally important to sharpen them with your team.
Your team will listen, and may not have much to say. And that's ok. You're starting something new, and like any human, they want to see if this is going to stick. And if you're using them like I listed above, it'll become apparent quickly.
Good luck. This is a fun process. And once you've got them established, it's fun to revisit them, get feedback, and refine the ones that may not be as applicable as you initially thought. I'd love to hear what you've come up with for your company. If I gather enough, I'll share them here (anonymously if preferred).