The Entrepreneur Weekly has been talking about insights and tips throughout May for entrepreneurs who have already taken the dive into the pool of business ownership. So, you’ve established your brand, you have the ‘why’ behind why you are doing what you are doing and have certain core values that you want to be the hallmark of your business. You have now made the step and have hired employees to help support your vision, but how can you help to get them on board with what you value and what you are trying to achieve?
The Harvard Business Review says, “Values can set a company apart from the competition by clarifying its identity and serving as a rallying point for employees.” When your team catches the vision of what you are trying to achieve and feel like what is being pursued and their input into it is valuable, it makes a world of a difference for you.
Authenticity
Authenticity is an underplayed value in an employer-employee dynamic. As an entrepreneur, your small staff complement is more likely to interact with you more frequently than a Fortune 500 business owner does with their staff. Therefore, in the frequency of these interactions there should be a high sense of shared values. When communicating what your company’s values are, it is important that this isn’t done in a way that seems disingenuous. If you do not believe in these values and hold them in high regard, it’s likely that will come out in your communication of them, which will be discernible to your staff who will likely regard them the same way you do.
A big part of communicating values authentically is to show more than say. LinkedIn shared, “Leading by example is one of the most effective ways to communicate core values. The more employees see leadership intentionally exemplifying values, the more apt they are to take personal ownership.”
Strategic and Memorable
Make Them Visible and Say Them Often!
Arquella Hargrove, Human Resources & Business Strategy Specialist said “Repetition brings revelation. Leaders should weave core values throughout day-to-day business communication. A helpful and organic way to put this into practice is via staff and one-on-one meetings and project planning.” On Strategy also suggests making these values visible. They said “Brevity and clarity in your core values also enables you to display those values more effectively. Place copies of your core values statements in key places around your organization where you know they will be seen often. You don’t want them to be “out of sight, out of mind.”
Affirm It!
On Strategy also suggests that affirming behaviours in keeping with your values is a good way to consistently communicate what they are. They shared, “It can be immensely powerful when organisational leadership calls out specific and positive examples of employees demonstrating core values. When you give public recognition, you are reinforcing behaviours you want to see across your organisation. It is also a motivating experience for employees to feel seen and valued for their efforts. This is one way to communicate your values and your commitment to them.”
Keys for Business Development
There are many unseen and undervalued parts of building out a successful business. The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) is willing to walk alongside you to be the extra pair of eyes that help you notice the gaps. Through the Business Advisory Services Unit, clients are offered counselling and monitoring support that walk with them through recommendations relevant to their specific stage as well as provide insight on next best steps. You can become a client with the JBDC by visiting www.jbdc.net.
