The end result is your values (what you do as a group). The most important thing in a company is its culture. The company culture is the sum total of who we are. It is the reality of our character as a team. It is who we really are. Your culture is defined by your values.
Each person who comes into your company has a different value set. Each person has a different way of handling conflict, celebrating success, and dealing with failures. Their values may or may not be constructive. As a company, you’ve got to adopt the values you want the company to live by and effectively communicate them to your staff.
I adopted these five values for my companies:
1. Reputation – We will protect and build our reputation by keeping our conduct above reproach.
2. Experience – We will gain every ounce of experience we can in our field so we can bring proven solutions to our clients.
3. Education – We will thoroughly train ourselves and stay on the cutting edge of education in our field so we can bring our clients the latest solutions.
4. Systems – We will build systems in our business so we can consistently provide the same level of service experience to our clients every time.
5. Guarantee – By honoring our guarantee, we reinforce our reputation.
Do these five values sound familiar? If you noticed that these are also the five points shared in our marketing, you are exactly right!
Doesn’t it make sense to live by the same values you are offering? Doesn’t it make sense to teach your staff members to live by these values so the client is going to consistently get what they are buying? On a CD I listened to once, a company called Y2 Marketing talked about the “outside perception” of a
company and their “inside reality.” The outside perception communicates who you are, and your inside reality is what really happens when people buy your product or service.
Many companies have a phenomenal outside perception, but fail to deliver. Others have a phenomenal inside reality, providing the most phenomenal service experience ever, but fail to market it properly. What if you had both? What if your people delivered on the promise every time? That’s what living out our values is all about.
