Many companies have core values. You can often find them on the company’s website and the CEO most likely knows them. However, they’re a waste of time if they’re not ALIVE in the organization. Even if every member of your organization can recite them, that’s not enough. Core values that are alive in an organization are transformational.
What are Core Values?
They are the rules of engagement for every member of the organization. They are a lens that is used to examine literally every decision that is made by everyone. It is not enough to HAVE and KNOW your core values. The next frontier is to LIVE and USE them every day. Sound ambitious? Yes, it is. But you need to get there.
How do we live our Core Values?
At ZogSports, it took us a few years before our Core Values were truly alive. It required commitment from leadership and every member of the organization to make it happen, and it still requires deliberate effort and attention to keep them alive.
Here are tips to ensure your core values are alive within your organization:
1. Every single member of the organization lives each of your core values. No exceptions.
2. Job descriptions and interviews screen for core values. If they miss one, you don’t hire them.
3. Your training of new employees starts with core values training, followed by a core values skit.
4. You are not allowed to give positive or constructive feedback without invoking a core value.
5. Your review process measures each person’s performance relative to the core values.
6. Stories are told company-wide when someone exemplifies a core value.
7. All decisions are made by asking if they are consistent with the core values.
8. All employees use the core values when communicating externally.
9. You are willing to take a financial hit to defend your core values.
If you can make your core values alive, the pressure is off of leadership to be involved in every decision. Hires/fires, investments, internal and external communication, and all decisions are being made in a consistent way that gives leadership the freedom to relinquish authority and give autonomy. It has been an incredible transformation for our company and it is the single reason why we’ve been able to grow.
A big thank you to the Gazelles organization and our coach Mark Green for helping us realize the importance of core values being alive, and for helping us get to where we are today.
ZogCulture is a strategic partner that creates connection, community and playful experiences at work. We bring play to your employee experience via Field Days and Family Days, In Office Events, and Private Games/Tournaments. Learn more by visiting our site or emailDanny@ZogSports.com to inquire about bringing Zog to your office.