When I speak about core values during my presentations, I ask “How many of you have written core values for your business?” A few hands go up or at most half the audience. Then I ask, “Tell me your core values.” What I started noticing is much of the time attendees couldn’t remember the values and some would pull out their cell phones to give me the answer!
I encourage you to develop your core values if you haven’t already done so as they are the roadmap for behavior and decision-making. You don’t want the business’s core values to just be words on paper after taking the time to define them. The power of core values comes about when you reference them in team communications, and everyone commits to actions that align with the values. Here are examples of how you can use your core values to create a positive culture.
- To address lack of accountability and enhance team performance. Let’s say a team member is consistently tardy. Rather than nagging them (which doesn’t tend to create lasting change), you can say, “You were late by 10-30 minutes 4 times this last pay period. When you aren’t here on time, we can’t deliver exceptional patient and client care. Your behavior also violates our core value of respect.” This lets someone know why they need to be on time and that there are consequences to their behavior that are unacceptable.
- To enhance client service. We know clients are often under stress and may take out their frustration on the team. When a team member complains about a pet owner, you might say “I bet Ms. Jones is concerned about Sophie. Let’s remember our core value of compassion and communicate empathy statements to her and ask questions rather than finding fault.”
- Lift morale and remind team members of their purpose. Share success stories during daily huddles or staff meetings. Rotate having a few team members answer this question: “What is something positive that you heard a co-worker say or saw them do in the last week that upholds our core values?” This helps everyone focus on the good work you do and keeps your core values alive.
If you want to read more about how to develop and use core values, see Chapter 2 in my book Leading and Managing Veterinary Teams. Note: there are 16 downloadable documents on the Books page of my website including a strategic planning worksheet and a memo to gather team input for your core values.
