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O P I N I O N
Core values
They count, so gather your leadership team, find the set of behaviors they admire, and make them part of your mission and vision.
F or many years now, it has been a common practice for companies to have mission and vision statements. Th ese are good things to have, as they should provide the clear direction for where your organization is headed. However, a mission and vision statement do not adequately explain the behaviors that are expected from the individuals within the organization. You may understand what you want to be and where you want to go, but you may not be sure which actions are going to make you successful in achieving that mission.
Brandon Pinkerton
As a leader of your team, you are responsible for setting the tone and the expectations. Th is is where a set of core values can have a transformational e ff ect on your company. A good set of core values for your company will answer this question: What is the basis for which we hire, fire, reward, and promote in our organization? Developing and communicating a clear set of core values puts everyone on the same page. From the CEO down to the entry level positions, everyone is held to the same standards. Th ese values promote unity, provide clear expectations, and set the standard for accountability.
To develop your core values you’ll need to gather your leadership team and set aside some time together. Typically, this process will take up to four hours. Start by simply writing down all the qualities that you admire and respect about the people in your organization. For example, “I like that Zach is always on time” or, “I can always count on Amy to exceed my expectations.” You can take these specific statements and distill them to their core values: Timeliness and reliability. As you work through the process you will likely see patterns emerge in what the organization holds valuable; these become your core values. Th e
See BRANDON PINKERTON, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER November 18, 2019, ISSUE 1321
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