Do corporate values mean anything?

Communication, integrity, respect… These are qualities for which any company would like to be known. And yet, it might be hard to believe that in 2000, Enron claimed these exact values were part of their core mission. Today, I don’t think anyone associates Enron with integrity. So, what is the point of corporate values and how do you ensure they actually reflect your culture and mission?

In the 20th century, business schools and universities began adding cultural courses to their M.B.A. programs. Corporate leaders and boards have never shifted their focus away from clients and profits, but they realized through massive expansions that their employees – their most valuable assets – wanted to work for a brand they believed in. Enter: company values.

Company values are the fundamental beliefs your team shares. They are your guiding principles that help your team work better together towards common goals. Many successful organizations from Google to J.P. Morgan to Starbucks have public core values that are shared and lived by their staff. And it’s no wonder: studies show that companies with strong values perform better financially and have higher customer satisfaction.

But on the people side of things, employees and potential hires are searching for companies that have values with which they align. Even if the company’s purpose is not mission-driven, having a set of core values – and truly living those values – can be what sets you apart from other attractive employers.

At Zeroed-In, our values didn’t come out of thin air – they connect to our daily efforts to help the way we work with each other. They guide our decision-making (“Do we live our values by saying ‘yes’ to this?”), they keep our team focused and they help us hire the right people.

I am excited to share with you the values that serve as our guiding star. If we were to zero-in (pardon the pun) on what makes us who we are, we would proudly say we are...

Zealous. We are passionate about being the change that our clients seek and leaving them in a better place than when we started.

Equal. We rely on every member of our team and draw on every perspective in order to be the best at what we do.

Reactive. Where most businesses are slow to action, we welcome uncertainty and respond to it head-on.

Optimized. We always operate with an improvement mindset.

Integrity-Centric. We will be wholly transparent with you – even when we make difficult decisions.

Novel. We want to be known for trying new techniques to deliver results for our clients.

Learn more about our values on our website. And I want to know: which of these values speaks to you and why?