Want to Communicate Your Company Values? Do These 4 Things.

A company’s values are arguably some of the most important parts of the organization. After all, the values tend to be the reason behind the organization itself and the driving force behind why you do what you do. Even more, your company values tend to form first before everything else about the company is figured out.

Because the values can be the backbone of the company, it’s important to communicate them to external partners and the general public. Values give meaning to the work and can help get people on board with your company. Not only do values attract workers who would be a good fit with your organization, but they also attract potential customers, partners, and recognition.

But values can be hard to communicate. If someone doesn’t share your company’s perspective, how do you convince them that your values are important? And how do you talk about your values without the meaning behind them getting lost in translation?

It can certainly be tricky to communicate what’s important to your company and its mission, but it’s not impossible. Here are the three steps needed to ensure an effective exchange.

Clearly Define Them

It’s hard to communicate your company’s values when you don’t know them yourselves. Even if you have a general idea of what they are, you may not have a clear way to define and talk about them. And if you don’t, you certainly cannot talk to other people about them. Make sure that you know them clearly enough that you are able to tell others what exactly you value and, perhaps more importantly, why your company holds those values. Have clear definitions that all of your employees know so that everyone is on the same page.

Create Your Story

Have a story to tell that reveals your company values. If customer service is a main value of your organization, talk about a time that an employee went above and beyond to help a customer. If your company holds a value, it should come through in the everyday work of that organization. Simply use these situations as an example to more clearly explain what it is that you value and why it is valued at that organization.

In addition, tell the story of your company in a way that starts specific and gets more general. If the leader of an organization is speaking about the company, they should begin by telling a personal story of a time when they used or developed a value that the company currently holds. They can use this experience to explain why the company holds that value, making it clear what exactly the value is. Then, that leader should transition to an example that displays how and why the audience relates or also holds that same value. Finally, the leader should use this story to inspire action, whether that be applying for a position or buying a product. By the end, anyone listening should be able to clearly understand what the company values.

Build a Team

If you have the resources, develop a team that can tackle this need. Being able to articulate what values the company holds is vital to the success of the organization. Because of this, creating a team that is devoted to ensuring that your company is successful at communicating values is justified. The team can create specific goals and strategies to ensure the effective communication of values. Most importantly, however, the team can adapt to different audiences if the need arises. As a result, creating a team will ensure that the company is continuously communicating their values effectively.

Conclusion

If your company struggles with communicating their values, they should consider implementing these three strategies as a solution to the issue. With a focus on values, the company can better attract appropriate employees and customers and increase the chances of success.