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Corporate values: the last place you’ll ever want to work

January 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Here’s a new addition to my ongoing collection of corporate vision, mission and value statements. This one is from Yellowbook.

Yellowbook Culture: Core Values

  1. Gain Usage
  2. Build Confidence in Our Brand
  3. User 1st, Advertiser 2nd, Yellowbook 3rd
  4. Think Long Term – Act with integrity
  5. Under Promise/Over Deliver
  6. If You Can Help Enough People Get What They Want…You Get What You Want
  7. People Achieving Career and Personal Goals within the Company
  8. Career Focus – The Last Place You’ll Ever Want to Work
  9. Have Fun, Keep Score, Win!

I have to say #1 and #8 gave me a chuckle.

Values say a lot about an organization. They show the clarity of the leaders’ thinking, how connected leadership  is  to its people, and what behaviors matter most in the organization. More and more job candidates are looking at an organization’s values before making job decisions — as are potential partners.

Do your values accurately reflect your organization?

Filed Under: Activating change, Communicating, Leadership Tagged With: , , ,

This RFP question matters

July 6, 2010 By 1 Comment

Last week I received an RFP  with a key question: what is your organization’s mission and beliefs? I love that question because it will help the evaluators get a sense of the firms  in a way that the factual questions can not.

However, many firms struggle in answering this question. Or they play it safe. Or answer in bland language.  Having reviewed hundreds of RFPs my advice is to answer this question passionately and genuinely, in language you would use in talking with someone.

This RFP question is designed to help the evaluators get to know the personality, people and passion of your firm. Don’t waffle.  Be bold, be true to who your organization is, and use language that brings you beliefs alive.

Also, make sure your Web site includes your belief ( or purpose, or mission, or point of view; they’re really the same)  And that everyone in the firm knows it and understands how it guides your work every day.

Stuck?  Get your people together and have a thoughtful conversation around this question: why does the world need our organization now more than ever?

Filed Under: Activating change, Communicating, Conversational Marketing, Language, Point of View & Messaging Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Container Store guiding principles

September 3, 2008 By 1 Comment

I’ve been collecting examples of companies’ beliefs, values, guiding principles and the like. All are meant to serve as a sherpa-like guide to the organization’s culture, decisions and behavior. The ones I like best go beyond the usual blah blah — quality, integrity, customer-first — and connect with people in their guts and in their heads. Here are The Container Store’s six principles:

  1. Fill the other guy’s basket to the brim. Making money then becomes an easy proposition
  2. Man in the desert*
  3. One great person equals three good people
  4. Intuition does not come to an unprepared mind
  5. The best selection anywhere plus the best service plus the best or equal to the best price in our market area
  6. Air of excitement

*Container Store employees are told the story of a man crawling through the desert gasping for a drink of water. He finds an oasis, where an ordinary retailer gives him water. If it had been a Container Store retailer, employees are told, he would have been told “Here’s some water. Do you also want something to eat? And I see from your wedding ring that you are married. How about we call your family and let them know you’re here.” The principle is that you’re cheating the customer if you are not offering them the opportunity to buy more.

Filed Under: Communicating, Point of View & Messaging Tagged With: , , , ,

Beliefs more useful than mission statements

June 4, 2008 By 3 Comments

Naming your organizations’ beliefs can guide decisions and inspire talent much more effectively than the traditional mission statement, which is usually pretty flat, descriptive and, well, boring.

Here are some examples of organizations’ beliefs.

Google

 

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.
2. It’s best to do one thing really, really well.
3. Fast is better than slow.
4. Democracy on the web works.
5. You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer.
6. You can make money without doing evil.
7. There’s always more information out there.
8. The need for information crosses all borders.
9. You can be serious without a suit.
10. Great just isn’t good enough.

Zappos

  1. Deliver WOW Through Service
  2. Embrace and Drive Change
  3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
  4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
  5. Pursue Growth and Learning
  6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
  7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
  8. Do More With Less
  9. Be Passionate and Determined
  10. Be Humble

And my firm, Beeline Labs:

  1. Deliver the wow and the whoa
  2. Activate change
  3. Go fast
  4. Try new things; OK to fail
  5. See new possibilities early
  6. Don’t compromise; the work needs to be meaningful
  7. It’s all about delivering business value
  8. Bee vs. me
  9. Integrity rules

What are your organization’s beliefs? Please share!

 

Filed Under: Activating change, Communicating, Leadership, Point of View & Messaging Tagged With: , , , ,