Every job, no matter how passionate you are about it, has its limitations. It’s important to remember that it should never overshadow the joys of life — whether that’s spending time with loved ones, engaging in physical activities, exploring new places, enjoying a fine wine, or savoring a home-cooked meal.
However, there are tangible ways to imbue your workdays with meaningfulness. Core company values stand as one of the most influential aspects that can guide team members toward a unified goal, fostering a culture of shared purpose and commitment.
Organizations need robust principles that employees can wholeheartedly support to drive sustainable growth. This need has led to the widespread adoption of frameworks like the HubSpot Culture Code, which has garnered nearly six million views since its 2013 release. With a focus on “Creating a company we love,” this culture code exemplifies how structured core values can enhance goal-setting and employee retention.
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Understanding Core Company Values
Core company values are the essential beliefs and guiding principles that govern your business. These values shape your organization’s culture, fostering unity and collaboration. They also define your business’s identity and distinguish your brand from the competition.
The Importance of Core Company Values
1. Providing a Common Purpose
At Nickelodeon, one of our core values is putting kids first in everything we do. This guiding principle helps employees stay motivated, even during stressful periods, by reminding them of the organization’s mission to educate and entertain children.
Core company values provide employees with a sense of purpose, which is vital for job satisfaction. A McKinsey & Company survey revealed that while 70% of employees define their sense of purpose through work, only 15% of non-executive employees feel they live their purpose at work.
Therefore, it’s crucial for core values to be embraced at all levels, not just by the executives. A strong sense of purpose not only boosts employee satisfaction but also enhances your bottom line and strengthens customer trust. Professor and author Ranjay Gulati illustrates this in his book Deep Purpose, emphasizing the transformative power of authentic, purpose-driven leadership.
2. Enhancing Well-being and Motivation
Despite efforts to “leave baggage at the door,” personal stress often creeps into the work environment. During such times, recognizing that you contribute to a meaningful and supportive corporate culture can be a significant source of comfort and motivation.
In fact, WifiTalents reports that 56% of employees say company culture and values have a substantial impact on their happiness, with happier workplaces generating approximately 23% higher revenues.
3. Public Perception and Brand Alignment
Modern consumers increasingly prioritize brands that align with their values. According to an MIT Sloan Management Review study, a misalignment in values could decrease sales by up to 30% once buyers notice these discrepancies between companies.
This highlights the importance of transparently communicating your core values, not just internally but also in public-facing messages. Doing so fosters authenticity and attracts like-minded consumers.
Core Company Values
- Integrity
- Boldness
- Honesty
- Trust
- Accountability
- Commitment to Customers
- Passion
- Fun
- Humility
- Continuous Learning
- Ownership
- Constant Improvement
- Leadership
- Diversity
- Innovation
- Quality
- Teamwork
- Simplicity
- Sustainability
- Inclusion
Key Elements of Effective Company Core Values
1. Clarity and Conciseness
Avoiding excessive jargon and contradicting principles ensures that core company values are accessible to everyone, from entry-level employees to senior executives. For example, Nickelodeon’s value of putting kids first is straightforward and easily memorable, making it easy to apply to all our projects.
2. Brevity and Memorability
Keeping core values brief and memorable encourages employees to internalize and act on them more readily. This approach can also help craft a distinctive brand identity, setting your business apart in the marketplace.
3. Action-Oriented
While attractive buzzwords like “Authenticity” and “Diversity” sound appealing, it’s crucial to translate these into actionable steps. For instance, HubSpot emphasizes “remarkable transparency,” a value demonstrated through its culture of open information sharing.
4. Reflective of the Business
Core values should uniquely reflect your company’s mission, vision, and objectives. For instance, HubSpot’s commitment to customer-centric solutions is embedded in its value, “We solve for the customer.” This alignment fosters authenticity and trust.
5. Adaptable
Though core values should remain consistent with your company’s overall mission, they should be flexible enough to evolve as your business grows. HubSpot, for example, has updated its Culture Code over 30 times since its inception.
Inspiring Examples of Company Core Values
- Focus on the user, and all else will follow.
- It’s best to do one thing really, really well.
- Fast is better than slow.
- Democracy on the web works.
- You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer.
- You can make money without doing evil.
- There’s always more information out there.
- The need for information crosses all borders.
- You can be serious without a suit.
- Great just isn’t good enough.
Google elaborates on its core values on its philosophy page, providing real-world examples such as ensuring transparency in its advertising efforts to maintain the integrity of search results.
Coca-Cola
- Leadership: The courage to shape a better future
- Collaboration: Leverage collective genius
- Integrity: Be real
- Accountability: If it is to be, it’s up to me
- Passion: Committed in heart and mind
- Diversity: As inclusive as our brands
- Quality: What we do, we do well
Coca-Cola demonstrates its commitment to diversity and environmental sustainability through its public Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page, and its ongoing sustainability reports.
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