They get back and ask HR or their corporate communications team to send an email telling everybody that they now have corporate values that should drive their everyday activities. Three years later, an associate calls corporate communications and asks, "Have we created corporate values yet? I heard that it's really important for a company to have values."
They hadn't heard a peep about values since that email that was sent three years ago.
What is the value of your corporate values if you rarely, if ever, communicate them? Zero. What started out as an inspired journey into creating a meaningful pillar of corporate culture turned into a lush vacation for the executives and a discontent workforce.
You can't get any value (monetary or otherwise) out of your corporate values unless you live them, talk about them and enforce them. As I said in my previous post, I don't believe the value of corporate values is in the bottom line.
So where is the value? It's in your people. By living, talking about and enforcing your corporate values, your people begin to embody your brand and convey those values to your customers. Your customers, in turn, see that your company is about more than just money. And they all love you for it.
But this can't be faked. It has to be real. You really have to believe that your corporate values matter more to you than your bottom line. You're not going to compromise your values to make an extra buck or two or even a million.
When you truly believe them, you will live them, talk about them (constantly) with your associates and enforce them when someone acts in a way detrimental to them. The result is an army of associates who love where they work, act as brand ambassadors every day and care deeply about the core of your organization.
Often, this leads to better financial results.
Jakel Communications, a Denver public relations firm, can help you communicate your values in an authentic, comprehensive manner. Contact us today for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment