You might think they’re just simple words, but great organizational values help businesses accomplish their goals and build cultures that fulfill their visions.
If your business hasn’t crafted its own set of company values just yet — or if it’s time to give your existing ones a face-lift — you should mimic these five organizational values, crafted by five successful enterprises:
1. Do good
What Google does
If you’ve ever wondered why you don’t see pop-up ads on Google searches, the answer can be found in the company’s philosophy. While most companies go into business to “do good,” a passing glance at Google’s company values shows how the search engine giant takes that mentality to the next level by clearly defining what it does to ensure it doesn’t “do evil.”
How you can do it too
Your company can similarly choose to do only good deeds. For example, a marketing agency shouldn’t try to sell a small business a content package designed for a Fortune 500 company. Instead, such agencies should work to provide their clients with products that will help them meet their objectives.
2. Focus on quality
What Coke does
According to Forbes , Coca-Cola is the world’s fourth most valuable brand. In today’s age of the health-conscious consumer, that number might surprise you. But to those familiar with Coke’s values , it probably doesn’t: “What we do, we do well,” the company says. Today, Coke sells 3,500 different beverages in more than 200 countries.
How you can do it too
By never losing sight of your company’s commitment to quality, you’re less likely to lose any loyal customers — and more likely to gain new ones. As you develop new products and target new customers, never relax your standards. And don’t forget the old adage: It’s better to do one thing very well instead of doing lots of things poorly.
3. Support your staff
What Whole Foods does
You can’t really expect your business to thrive if your employees feel as though they’re taken for granted. Many companies, like Whole Foods , are especially vocal about how prospective candidates are treated once they join the team. For example, Whole Foods says all employees’ ideas are valued, as everyone has something to contribute. The chain also allows its employees to work as part of self-directed teams, increasing their autonomy.
How you can do it too
By adopting a similar employee-focused philosophy, your business stands to become noticeably healthier. To do that, encourage your employees to share their ideas and routinely solicit their feedback. Offer opportunities for professional development so they’ll grow with you.
4. Give back to the community
What TINYpulse does
Business isn’t just about seeing how much money you can make. It’s also about doing what you can to improve the world around you, something that extends beyond simply the products and services you sell.
To this end, supporting nonprofit initiatives and giving back to local communities are core tenets of many businesses. For example, we at TINYpulse donate 1% of our product and 1% of our time to nonprofit organizations and communities. We believe that in addition to simply being the right thing to do, giving back makes our employees happier, which in turn helps them better serve our clients.
How you can do it too
If your organization isn’t involved in your community, it might be time to take a look at volunteer opportunities that double as team-building exercises. In doing so, your workers will grow closer to one another and feel better about themselves. You organization will look great too.
5. Love your customers
What Amazon does
While there’s nothing you can do to make sure all of your customers are completely satisfied 100% of the time, you can create a culture that encourages positive experiences. For example, Amazon is a company that describes itself as “customer obsessed” — and if you’ve ever had a problem with an order and reached out to the e-commerce giant, you know exactly what that means. Simply put, whenever something goes wrong, Amazon remedies it.
How you can do it too
You may be surprised what happens when you similarly put your customers at the center of your operations: they’ll become loyal. And remember, loyal customers may make up only 15% of your clientele, but they can account for as much as 70% of your revenue, according to CRMTrends .
Crafting and adhering to sensible company values can do wonders for your business. Who knows? Maybe one of the values your organization develops and abides by will serve to guide the businesses of tomorrow.