The last time that I talked about core values, I was referring to using them as a tool for personal productivity. Core values are not only necessary for personal success but are also vital to an organization as well. Like your vision and mission, core values are another set of bricks that you use to build your business foundation.
Despite the stain that certain companies have brought on businesses in general, there are a lot of companies that are still doing it right and core values are at the front of what they are doing. Two examples of this are Starbucks and Zappos.
Before I get started talking about Starbucks, I will say that while I do go to Starbucks on occasion, I am more likely to buy coffee at a gas station. I didn’t want anyone to accuse me of being a blind fan. With that being said, Starbucks has built a specific niche in local markets as well as being a national presence. When you visit their website you can look at the Starbucks mission. They lay it out as just a mission statement but within that statement are their core values. Their values range from using the highest quality coffee to their commitment to the communities that they do business in. When you visit their stores, you get a sense of that commitment to their values.
If you watched the Celebrity Apprentice last season, you saw Zappos and CEO Tony Hsieh featured prominently in an episode where the apprentices had to come up with a comic book character that Zappos could use in their marketing. In that episode Tony said that Zappos’s core values were customer service and having fun. Actually at Zappos.com they have 10 core values that govern their organization and have even done a video with employees talking about these core values. Anyone who has worked with or purchased from Zappos will tell you that they practice what they preach.
Core values guide how you do business, how you treat people, identify what you stand for and provide your organization with additional clarity among other things. It’s important to not get core values confused with strategies, organizational practices and products or services that you provide. When used effectively, core values are the veins that run throughout your organization and can act as a guide for better decision making in your organization.
How does your organization use core values? What other roles do core values play in an organization that I missed?
Comments are closed.