Have you seen those nice plaques on the walls of lobbies, boardrooms, managers’ offices? Here it is: this is who they are, this is what they promise, this is what they stand for – the company’s vision, mission, and values. How often do you finish reading it in disappointment? It seemed like every other company’s plaque you’ve ever read.
If you ask an employee to tell you the vision or the mission statement of the company, it is highly unlikely that they know it.
If the values statement doesn’t include quality, customer service and integrity, you are probably surprised.
I think the problem is that people stop too soon.
1.They don’t consider how to make their language memorable to their people.
- It doesn’t explain how to behave to be consistent with the values.
Take Quality as an example. Does Quality mean zero defects, or free lifetime replacement, or returns accepted for 30 day? It depends on your industry. It sure would help your employees to know what is expected of them.
Look again at that beautiful plaque on the wall. Nothing is forever. Maybe, it is time to tighten it up and clarify it. Take it off the wall and discuss how to make it a living code with a representative group of employees.
Then, when difficult problems arise in the future, your team can go to its core – its vision, mission, values and behaviors and make the right decision, right now – without a company meeting, or a huddle at the top. Why? because everyone is aligned and understands how to act in the best interest of the company as a whole. It is worth the work!
picture courtesy of thegrowthcoachhouston.com. More discussion of why to have a clear vision statement there.