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