Culture eats strategy for breakfast. A nice saying, but what does this mean and firstly, what is culture? Culture contains a mix of elements such as norms, values, behaviors and ethics. The most basic element of culture is values. About being aware of what we really find important in our daily life’s.
As a start you can discover your own values as an individual, what you as a individual find important in your daily life. Another area where you can define values, is discovering the common values with your co-workers: a company value manifest. To know what you as a team or organization find important in your daily work.
a value manifest gives direction so everyone works on the same goal, knows how to communicate with each other and being aware of what -not- to do
There is also a more functional reason to write a value manifest: for example when you want to hire new people; this will attract the right candidates that match your value criteria. Also it will level out the business partners that are (not) on the same page of what your organization stands for.
You can start writing about what you as a conscious business leader find important. Next step can be to discuss this with your team and find the internal common grounds. The motivation to do so can be various: for a clear goal setting, increased motivation, more focus, finding the main strengths, a possible culture change and more.
As an example, please have a look at our own Business Hippie Club – Value Manifest. This Manifest contains the most important elements how we see the social economy and how to do business, by intertwining it with human values. This is our holistic approach to accomplish our mission.
If you need assistance with writing your value manifest, please contact us. We organize workshops for teams and organizations to discover your common values for a more coherent workforce.
Business Hippie Club 