Successful Organizations Know their Values.

Earlier I recounted the story of the young businessman who did not understand the values that had made his family’s business successful.  Organizational Coach Jeannette Buller Slater says of an organization’s values, “They are deeply held convictions, priorities, and underlying assumptions that influence your attitudes and behaviors.  Core values describe the unique way people in an organization work and relate to one another.”  She continues on to say that core values are the “personality and character” of an organization.

Like in a family where core values come first from a mother or father, in business core values first come from the founder or its’ leadership.  Great organizations spend time making sure that everyone in the organization understands and demonstrated its’ values.  It is not unusual for the top values to be visually presented and frequently quoted.   Speaking on the importance of knowing ones’ values, Roy E. Disney, who was the last active family member in company that bares his name said, “It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”