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Who Needs Core Values? (hint: YOU!)
Posted on January 16, 2012 by Bob Waller
Seems like everyone is writing about the need for companies to have a set of core values – Verne Harnish (Mastering the Rockefeller Habits), David Friedman (Fundamentally Different) and Tony Hsieh (Delivering Happiness) and others. So why all this emphasis on a company having a set of core values?
The short answer – a company without core values is like a ship without a rudder!
As Verne Harnish states, “ The key is not what core values an organization has but that is has core values at all”. Core values provide a clear understanding to all employees, current and prospective, clients, vendors, etc. as to what the organization stands for. They provide the “compass” from which all decisions can be made – large and small. The goal of developing a set of core values is not to have them framed and hung on your wall, but to use these in guiding decisions for what is needed for the company.
At Association Headquarters, one of our core values is community service. As a company, we feel it is an obligation to support our community, and this view is shared by all members of our team. We have been supporting various community service organizations for many years, and in 2011, the AH Social Responsibility Committee, an employee driven committee supported by AH leadership to perform community service, dedicated nearly 200 hours to local nonprofits including Habitat for Humanity and Urban Promise.
We also had a very special holiday party this year, which included an appearance by The Man in Red.
Companies with a strong set of core values will use them in the hiring process for all new employees. Not only should the values be distributed to prospective employees and asked if they can support what is written, but also they should be used by the hiring team to make sure that you are selecting the person that best “fits” with the culture of the organization (having the necessary skill set for the position is a given).
Here at AH, our major focus in hiring staff is to ensure that there is a good “fit” between the employee and the company. We have learned that it is that “fit” that will ensure the employee is both successful at their position, as well as provide the level of service we expect for our client partners.
We also recently put together a committee of staff to begin putting into writing what exactly our core values are, so that they are visible to all our employees and client-partners.
In his book “Good to Great,” Jim Collins makes the point that unless you have the “right people, sitting in the right seats on the bus” there is no way that you will be able to move your organization from just “good” to “great”. What better way to ensure that you are moving forward than by using your core values in ensuring you are hiring right the first time?
It is far too easy to say that you don’t have the time to develop a set of core values, but I would support the views of Verne Harnish that it is imperative that all companies, big or small, take the time!
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