Building Trust

Building Trust

4 Steps for Curating Compelling Corporate Values

By: Jocelyn Martin

Edited by: Justin Teeuwen

Growth can occur when confronting 'moral reckonings' – those hard moments when what we are doing confronts who we want to be. When faced with these challenges, we might try to look the other way or cast our personal values aside. Over time these personal sacrifices become difficult to maintain, causing us to look outside of our established careers to reaffirm our neglected moral values.¹

Breaking down values into different types can help us navigate what is immediately achievable, while also shaping longer-term goals. Core values should underscore all actions and are unique to each corporation. These values must be considered and maintained at every step.²

Aspirational values on the other hand are sought after.² They remain situated on the horizon; out of immediate reach but not out of sight. Most employees ranked purpose higher than pay when asked what motivates their work and earns their loyalty.³ So, consider how you might

express each kind of value in a way that encapsulates both corporate goals and workers’ long-term desire for self-actualization. Use your values to “...show employees the impact your company aims to have on the world.” By fostering this shared sense of purpose within your corporate culture you can drive employees to maximize productivity.⁴

Creating a workplace culture with a collective sense of purpose can be very difficult.  Another survey reported that 38% of HR leaders felt that most of their employees do not remember their core corporate values, leading to poor implementation.⁵ So how might we shape the values in our workplaces for long-lasting fulfillment reaffirmed by an integrated sense of community? 

Here are four tips for curating the values you need to succeed: 

1. Ensure Values are Actionable. Rather than using vague norms to describe desired values, indicate specific actions that can be done to achieve them. "Move your culture from abstraction to action."⁶

2. Build your Values Around Real-World Scenarios. By identifying the dilemmas routinely faced by your employees, you can suggest how they might be resolved and more directly guide employee behavior towards your ideals.⁵

3. Describe your Values Vividly. Include clear images and metaphors to enhance retention. The picture superiority effect (PSE) suggests that concepts are made more concrete through illustrating images then through abstract language.⁵

4. Build your Driving Culture upon your Values. Build a team that embodies your values right from the beginning. Leverage personal interviews to gauge a good hiring candidate that already aligns with your company's culture.⁷
   

At Meta Excellence, we hire and work with clients that reflect our own values. One of our core values is Altruism – care deeply, support fully, and lift others up. We are willing to be vulnerable while growing and ask everyone we work with to be open to receiving the support that is offered. Through the meta tools of thinking, feeling, being, and doing we are dedicated to helping everyone exceed their goals.

Where do you need to focus to build a driven sense of purpose within your own team? Set up a free consultation with a Meta Coach to explore what resources could enhance your workplace culture and ultimately your performance!

 ¹ Reid, Eric, Lakshmi Ramarajan, and Brianna Barker Caza. “3 Ways to Live Out Your Values at Work.” Harvard Business Review, September 27, 2023.

² Lencioni, Patrick. “Make Your Values Mean Something.” Harvard Business Review, July 2002. https://hbr.org/2002/07/make-your-values-mean-something.

³ Gelber, Mack. “Here's what you need to know about Gen Z”. Monster.com, https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/gen-z-boss-0816

⁴ Kralova, Ursula. “Millennial Managers Can Change Company Culture for the Better.” Harvard Business Review, October 14, 2024. https://hbr.org/2021/10/millennial-managers-can-change-company-culture-for-the-better. 

⁵ Pope, Shawn, and Arlid Wæraas. “How to Create Company Values That Actually Resonate.” Harvard Business Review, October 31, 2023. https://hbr.org/2023/10/how-to-create-company-values-that-actually-resonate?registration=success.

⁶ Meyer, Erin. “Build a Corporate Culture That Works.” Harvard Business Review, 2024. https://hbr.org/2024/07/build-a-corporate-culture-that-works. 
⁷ Deeb, George. “The Key Drivers of Company Culture.” Forbes, November 3, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgedeeb/2021/11/03/the-key-drivers-of-company-culture/.