Corporate Values

Great concepts sometimes become so common that their true message gets lost. This often happens with corporate values. Many companies have spent tens of thousands of dollars in consulting fees, research, and committee meetings as they worked to create the best mission, vision, and values statement. Despite the investment, few things are as universally ignored as those placards on the wall that seem to say the same thing as every other one at every other company for which we’ve ever worked.

The best way to bring corporate values back into meaningful focus is for individuals to take time and really think about their personal core values. Have you done this lately? Looking inside can be uncomfortable at first, but the reward far outweighs a few awkward moments every now and then. Once you truly know what motivates you and guides your decision-making process, you can better identify with your company’s culture.

It’s best to know your core values before you sign on with a company in the first place. Many times, people struggle or feel unhappy at their jobs because their personal values are quite different from the ones their employer upholds. This may not seem probable but remember the story of the Princess and the Pea—all it took was one small bump to keep the princess from being comfortable. Core values sometimes work the same way—one small difference can really throw off our productivity and cause us to become really unhappy over a longer period of time.

The true power of core values will grow over time as individuals embrace their guiding principles and then live them out at work instead of having someone else’s trite ideas imposed on them every time they walk through the main entrance.

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