What are core values?
We are all aware that we have certain likes and dislikes, preferences and rules and ways of doing things that seem completely normal to us but might be a bit weird to other people. Many of these we have absorbed from our environment and upbringing, our friends, the media and other role models in our lives.
While our rules are completely natural to us we recognise that we need to be flexible when they may impact others, particularly when forming new relationships or working with new people. When I started living with my partner I became aware of lots of unconscious rules I have, particularly about food. Most of these stems back to my mother meal planning and shopping once a week so if you ate something without asking you were likely to be eating a key ingredient for a future meal whereas he was used to opening the fridge and eating whatever he fancied at that moment.
However much we can compromise on the small things there are some we will find genuinely non-negotiable. If we feel passionate about environmental issues, for example, we might change the way we live to reduce our own impact on the planet or we might care deeply about animal issues and volunteer at a local shelter.
Many people define these core values as our ethical framework and they dictate the way in which we choose to live our lives. Not only that, but if you live authentically by your values you will attract people who resonate with you and find those fulfilling relationships, both romantic and platonic.
Why are core values important in the workplace?
So if we understand our own personal core values, why shouldn’t this be translated into our working environment? We are all familiar with the historical pictures of similarly dressed commuters in bowler hats travelling into cities and the terms ‘faceless corporation’ and ‘soulless office’; words which were associated with companies to suggest they were bland and dull places to work. It implied that the individual had to conform and leave their individuality at the door.
While local shops and small businesses have always been able to stamp more personality on their service the corporate world was undoubtedly shaken by the rise of the tech startups with (usually) younger founders who wanted to do things differently and had access to technology that enabled them to broadcast their ideas far outside their office walls.
For the first time, we saw the individuals behind the company. We could relate to them as people, with individual personalities, likes and dislikes and we got to see inside their companies and how they treated their staff. In many ways, we were actively encouraged to form strong opinions about them and what it would be like to work with or for them.
It is equally important to me as a small service business owner that the clients I work with understand what to expect from me and that our values are aligned. For example, I work primarily with volunteer board members within professional membership associations and not for profit organisations so they already tend to be motivated more by values than money and I find it easy to share their enthusiasm.
How do you define your core values?
One of the most eye-opening exercises I did, and that I would recommend to anyone, is a Core Values exercise. The idea is that you look at a page full of words and pick out the ones that you feel most energised by or that most closely align with. In the personal version, you keep refining your list by discarding words until you are left with a maximum of 5 or 6 you feel most strongly about.
In the business version, you group your chosen words together under 3-5 headings and work out what those words mean in terms of how your business works and how you interact with staff and customers. If you have larger teams it is great to do this exercise together as a group.
What it showed me was that the business is already quite closely aligned with my personal values, which is hardly surprising as an owner-manager, but also how much I value humour as a way of building relationships.
Communicating your core values
Not surprisingly with my secretarial background I highly value effectiveness, stability and integrity alongside collaborative working. What I did find surprising though was how important playfulness and humour are for me in the way I build relationships and work within teams.
Being able to communicate and explain to my team and clients how the values translate into action is invaluable. This shouldn’t be a one-off exercise that is then filed away, it should be a constant point of reference and discussion. We are busy refurbishing our office before we return from homeworking and I have made the core values into a series of posters to put on the walls.
As my team grows our values will be re-visited and developed because it is really important to me that my team also gets to bring their values and personalities to work.
