5 Make or break reasons to know your business values

The results are in for research related to personal and business values, and it’s striking:  while most people believe they live by their values, few people have actually identified their personal or business values.  If you have, GREAT JOB!  You are ahead of the curve.  If not, I hope this will serve as a friendly nudge to move you forward in that direction.  Why are knowing your business values so important?  I’m so glad you asked! Hiring Culture Employee Recognition/Retention/Recruitment Marketing Decision making The Interview Process Note that hiring is first on the list to ensure that you build a values-based business. Most often we are looking to hire a certain skill level, and while skill is definitely important, what about values?  In our business we want people who are a good fit for our culture. Knowing your business values gives you an opportunity to be listening for key words and feelings in an interview. Incorporating your values into the interview process allows you to create scenarios that will elicit a response to indicate whether a person fits your values system or doesn’t. Just to be clear, when I am talking about values, I’m not talking about religion or social ideals like honesty, integrity, and trust.  For instance, although faith is one of my highest personal values, there are people of all beliefs (or non-beliefs) who fit in with our company values of: Servant Leadership   Stewardship Respect Learning Giving Back Fun Eye Opener! Recently, I sat down with a business owner and one of his staff members.  While using the DISC behavioral styles assessment, I asked a couple of questions to also elicit answers that would give him an idea of her behavioral styles and values.  By the end of the conversation it became apparent that this staff member was not operating within the same value system of the business owner or his business.  Within a week of that conversation she put in her two-week notice. I believe that in the long run his staff, his clients, and his business will all be better off with this change. That said, maybe this could have been avoided if when he first interviewed, he had incorporated his values into the hiring process. But I’m Desperate! Desperation to fill a position is never a good reason to hire. Keeping people because you don’t have a replacement could be a cancer that eats away at your staff and ultimately your business. I advocate bringing key staff members into interviews; after all, they are the ones who are going to have to work with the new hire!  It also gives you and your staff the chance to listen for the values that make your business unique.  In the long run finding the right people for your business that match your organization’s values will save you valuable time, money, and the respect of your current staff. Looking forward to your success in LIFE and Business. Lisa

Living a VALUABLE life.

As I walked through a park in Prague holding the hand of my daughter, I was struck by joy.  It's a feeling...actually more of a realization, a realization that at that moment many of my values were lining up. When that happens.....joy ensues.

My husband Dave was suffering from a bad back so, he was buzzing around on a scooter in front of us, creating skid marks as if he was on a mountain bike. The sun was shining, the swans and ducks were playing in the ponds around us.  Families were walking, feeding ducks or just sitting on benches.  Mmmm.....Joy.

It seems so simple, and it is.  I know what brings me joy now and I try and make a point of putting myself in a situation to experience it as often as possible. Many of my values can bring me joy.

Faith
Family
Nature

Learning
Adventure
Connection
Fairness
Acknowledgment
Stewardship
Servant Leadership


I feel closer to God when I am in nature.  It is like I am participating in one of His great pieces of art. It's almost as if I am walking through a painting like the characters in Mary Poppins do. I am learning new things when I am seeing something for the first time, and traveling is ALWAYS an adventure.  Before my daughter moved to Europe, we used to walk arm in arm or hand in hand through parking lots, Walmart or where ever.  When I have an opportunity now to connect with her, laugh with her, explore new things with her, I am fulfilling the values of family, connection, and adventure.

Sitting in the middle of Old Town Square in Prague drinking a latte with my husband brings me joy. Hiking up to the top of a castle and overlooking the city, walking through the park behind my daughter's school where peacocks roam, having dinner with her lovely friends, walking arm in arm with our French and Slovak daughters, watching the three girls laugh together, this all brings me joy.

I don't always have to travel to fulfill my values. Honestly, I have a hard time leaving every time I do.  My staff, friends, family, dogs, and communities bring me joy.  I love watching how God is working in the lives of people I care about. I feel so connected to our staff that when they are struggling, I hurt. When they are thriving, growing and experiencing joy, I experience joy.  I get to use our business as a vehicle (no pun intended) to help and acknowledge deserving people and organizations. In my role as a coach, I get to connect, encourage, and acknowledge my clients as well as learn from them and pray with them.

When my oldest son utilizes his creativity to create a yummy mouth water dish, that brings me joy. When I attend a show my youngest son is singing in, that brings me joy. My dog, well, that verges on obsession. From the day he came into our lives, he has brought us so much joy.  Our communities lift my spirits. There are so many people who serve others, by giving of their time, talent and treasures. And to top it all off, we live in an absolutely beautiful place.

Don't get me wrong, life is far from perfect.  There are days, even weeks that I have to consciously search for joy.  However, I KNOW I can turn things around because I have identified what is most important in my life and have chosen to base my time, my work and my life in search of fulfilling my values.

#values #vision #joy