All organizations have Core Values. Few organizations memorialize them; almost none manage them.
Organizations are brought together by a unique blend of personal and organizational values. These values are important to employees, leaders, and stakeholders, and they influence how people work together, make decisions, and serve others.
What exactly is a Core Value? From our human resources perspective, a Core Value reflects the heart of your organization. It is what makes your organization tick. It defines who you are, how you operate, and what you stand for. It is how your vendors experience doing business with you and how your customers are treated.
It is what employees tell their neighbors and friends when someone asks what it is like to work at your organization.
For Christian leaders, Core Values should also reflect the faith and Biblical principles that guide how we lead and serve others. Faith Driven organizations have a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate their beliefs through the way they treat employees, customers, vendors, and the communities they serve. Our values should never be something we simply hang on a wall. They should be demonstrated in everything we do.
One of the most important aspects of Core Values is understanding where they come from. Core Values need to be shared across the organization, but they also need a reference point. Your Core Values should include a statement that establishes that foundation.
We are a family-owned and operated organization. As such, we respect each other and collectively support the following Core Values in the way we conduct business and treat one another, both internally and externally.
Efficiency: We pride ourselves on speed—and, yes, we are accurate!
Individual Responsibility: We believe in holding ourselves accountable. We deliver on our promises and always endeavor to use good judgment.
Quality: We do not compromise on quality. Quality is job one.
Ownership: We own our decisions, we own our mistakes, and we own our achievements.
If you have not yet defined your Core Values, it may be time to determine which principles are truly important to your organization. This process should be approached with care because, over time, leaders and employees develop their own values, and those values are not always aligned with those of the owners or senior leadership.
When developing Core Values for an established organization, the process should be shared, not simply directed from the top. Brainstorming should include employees from several levels of the organization. We have found that focus groups can be particularly effective, allowing employees to contribute their perspectives and participate in developing values that everyone can understand and support.
Naturally, some Core Values are nonnegotiable, such as Trust and Integrity. However, the true heart of an organization is reflected in what is collectively valued and demonstrated by its people, not necessarily what senior leadership believes those values should be.
Some organizations have as many as ten Core Values. We believe that is simply too many. At IHN HR, we recommend identifying three to five Core Values that truly represent your organization.
Having fewer Core Values helps ensure that they reflect your most important principles. It also makes them easier for employees to remember, understand, and demonstrate in their daily work. Just as importantly, fewer values are easier to integrate into your HR processes, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, employee development, and leadership accountability.
Below is a collection of Core Values we have compiled over the years. These examples may help you and your leadership team determine which principles are most important to your organization.
Accountability — We are responsible for our actions, which influence our customers, vendors, and coworkers. We hold ourselves and one another to a high standard of accountability.
Balance — We create a work environment that promotes healthy lifestyles and recognizes the importance of balancing family and work responsibilities.
Biblical Principles — We are an organization founded on Biblical principles. We seek God’s guidance in all that we do.
Civic Responsibility — We honor our coworkers and communities by encouraging employees to actively participate as volunteers and leaders.
Compassion — We demonstrate kindness and concern for others, especially those who are in need.
Courage — We face difficult situations with confidence and determination, standing firm in our convictions even when doing what is right may not be popular.
Commitment — We are committed to our employees, vendors, and customers. Through that commitment, we believe we can accomplish great things together.
Community — We are committed to strengthening the communities where we conduct business and where our employees live, work, and raise their families.
Consistency — We take pride in our reputation for delivering consistent results and treating others with fairness and respect.
Efficiency — We pride ourselves on speed—and, yes, we are accurate!
Empowerment — We create an environment where employees are encouraged to contribute their unique talents and achieve their full potential.
Fairness — We believe in maintaining a workplace where people are treated fairly and decisions are made without favoritism or prejudice.
Fun — Work does not need to be painful or joyless. We believe employees should enjoy what they do.
Honesty — We consistently seek and speak the truth. We believe in a workplace free from lying, cheating, stealing, and deception.
Individual Responsibility — We hold ourselves accountable, deliver on our promises, and exercise good judgment.
Industriousness — We recognize the rewards of hard work and celebrate the unique contributions our employees make toward the success of our organization.
Innovation — We create before others do!
Integrity — Without integrity, we are nothing!
Justice — We consider the perspectives of others and demonstrate the courage to act fairly while treating everyone with dignity and respect.
Leadership — We lead with conviction, understanding, and a commitment to serving others.
Ownership — We own our decisions, we own our mistakes, and we own our achievements.
Passion — We love what we do, and our hearts go into our work.
Quality — We do not compromise on quality. Quality is job one.
Respect — We value our employees, vendors, and customers. We treat others as we would want to be treated.
Risk Taking — We take calculated risks, learn from our mistakes, and grow through our successes.
Safety — We take responsibility for our personal safety and help our coworkers maintain a safe working environment.
Service Excellence — We provide exceptional service to our internal and external customers every day.
The best Core Values are those that you and your employees identify, understand, and demonstrate together. They should never become another document that sits on a shelf or a collection of words displayed in your conference room. They should influence how you hire, how you lead, how you make decisions, and how you treat people.
For those of us leading Faith Driven organizations, this is especially important. Our employees should experience our values through our actions, not simply read about them in an employee handbook. When our values reflect what we believe and are consistently demonstrated throughout the organization, we begin building something far greater than a successful business. We begin building an organization that makes a difference in the lives of its employees, their families, and the communities we serve.
Remember, your Core Values are not what you say they are. They are what your employees experience every day.
What Core Values have made the greatest difference in your organization? We would love to hear your experiences and the values you believe every organization should embrace.
At IHN HR, we help organizations establish meaningful Organizational Core Values, strengthen Organizational Culture, and improve Employee Engagement. Through Faith Driven HR, Christian Leadership, and Leadership Development, we help businesses and ministries integrate Biblical Business Principles into their everyday practices.
Whether you’re developing Organizational Core Values or strengthening your HR foundation, we’re here to help your organization and its people thrive.
Every organization is different. If you have an HR challenge, leadership need, or simply want to strengthen your organization, we would welcome the conversation.
