May 22, 2015 : Agency report
In its
simplest definition, values are the fundamental beliefs of an
organisation, the guiding principles that dictate how people should
behave and act.
A company’s values help people know the
difference between right wrong, and they help companies determine if
they are on the right path to fulfilling their business goals.
Every business needs to identify and
acknowledge their values. At Porch we have them front and centre,
painted on the wall so they are the first things you see when you step
through the door.
There are plenty of values that a company
can consider but here are eight of my favourites that every company
should have, whether it is at start-up stage or a Fortune 50 company.
A problem solver
Building a great company is about solving
one problem after the next. If you can surround yourself with people
that are excited to hop from one problem to another, you will achieve
great things.
Ambition
I have always felt that there are three
types of people: people who want things to happen, people who watch
things happen and people who make things happen. I have found that
ambition can be a really powerful value if it leads to people being the
change they want to see in the world.
Transparency
There is too much at stake for a company
to fall into a trap of passive-aggressive behaviour. Over the years I
have found that if people are honest, open and direct in all
conversations you save a lot of time.
Empathetic
This is probably one of my favourite
personal and professional values. Empathy is not something everyone
possesses and for those who do, it is a gift. The ability to understand
the challenges that others deal with, what they care about and how you
can help them thrive to hit their goals and maximise their potential is a
character trait I look for in every hire I make.
Adaptability
For me adaptability means one thing: How
well does a person handle ambiguity? I read somewhere once that “to
improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” While
perfection is never possible, how well we adapt to change will determine
how durable our success will be. In a world of ambiguity, those who can
roll with the change and still perform are prime time players you want
on the team.
Accountability
This is the obligation of an individual
to account for his or her activities, accept responsibility for them and
to disclose their results in a transparent manner.
When I review scorecards I always
encourage people to “embrace the red.” Own up to what is not performing
well so we can have a conversation around what we need to improve. If
you have people who are not accountable they may begin to sweep things
under the rug or worse, begin to point fingers or pass blame around.
Focused
If you are focused on doing too many
things you won’t do anything really well. By putting an emphasis on this
value you are able to create an environment where people spend their
time creating waves of productivity versus ripples.
Integrity
Integrity is the quality of being honest
and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. It is generally a
personal choice to uphold oneself to consistently moral and ethical
standards and a business should surround itself with people who care
deeply about integrity. When this happens everyone benefits — partners,
customers and most importantly your entire employee base.
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