4 Practical Steps To Embedding Values In Your Business

Great article. Company values are something that really reflect who you are as a business. When done right these can be inspiring and supportive throughout the whole chain.

I would add a step five, which expands on step 4: Peer recognition is a strong driver of behavior - get people to recognize their colleagues for behaviors that demonstrate your values. It is exceedingly challenging to meaningfully bring values to life: - Fewer than 5% of employees are inspired by them or believe they are reflected in decisions (The HOW report) This undermines credibility in the business and in leadership. We deliver a process that executes against these steps - see a two minute video at: http://vimeopro.com/holycowgiveithorns/living-your-values

Good article with practical advice - I especially like the final step of a regular survey. Two things I'd add which I find useful when going through this process with clients: firstly, when taking people through stage 2, ask them also to think about times when they and their teams felt great about a particular piece of work, reflecting on which of the values were shown, and how they were evidenced; and secondly, perhaps a new fourth step, embedding the new behaviours in the appraisals of directors and managers - for a couple years before getting to the teams and staff, to show commitment from the top - through their appraisals and objectives, noting times when the cultural-norm behaviours were evidenced (more, please) and not evidence (change your behaviour!). Your fourth then becomes the fifth...

thanks Christina - certainly chimes with me as a freelancer; especially as I openly report on how my values are creating an impact through my work http://www.scribd.com/doc/222041673/Adrian-Ashton-Social-Impact-Report-2013-4-Publication

Thanks. I think this is also a good way to build a company's culture. Continue gathering ideas, make a practical statement for it, commit to do it and implement it and follow up the results. This is a cycle to get more valuable ideas and create more valuse by everyone.