Most companies treat core values as ethical principles unrelated to anything else. Core values must not only be integrated into a company’s vision, mission, and thus strategy, but core values also shape your corporate culture.
Depending on whether or not you deliberately apply your core values on a daily basis—say in how you give feedback, delegate, coach and make decisions—you will have a culture that you control or not. The more intentional you treat your core values, the more you will be able to manage the culture that is taking share in your organization. You can ignore your core values. A culture will still form. You are only not in charge. In the worst case scenario—which is actually in most companies—ineffective core values are contrary to honesty because the core values do not reflect the true reasons why founders established that company. They are also not properly communicated throughout the organization. Therefore, they are not well defined, well designed, properly shared, institutionalized, and honored in ways to create an alignment of:
- Values
- Culture, and
- Strategy