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Brittni Schroeder Coaching
DEFINING CORE VALUES
IN YOUR BUSINESS
I once had a business acquaintance. I had a few negative experiences with her, but moved on and just decided to steer clear of her. She was well-known and very successful, but had a horrible reputation and was tabled a mean girl in the industry. Time passed and I had forgotten about her.
A few years ago she randomly reached out to me asking if I wanted to collaborate. It would be a great opportunity and it would give me some great exposure. Yes it’s true she waived shiny objects in front of me and I gave in. I agreed. I did my part of the collaboration and included all the bells and whistles, trying to ignore the fact that I wasn’t her biggest fan. The time started and I started promoting our project. Within minutes I received a few messages from friends I loved and respected. They where taken back that I was collaborating with this individual. Immediately, I felt regret. I knew I had made the wrong decision. I messed up. #FAIL Defining core values in your business is one of the first things you should do when starting your business.
Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a business, they are guiding principles that dictate how your business will run. You need to decide right now what yours are going to be. Once you determine your core values. You want to make sure that your core values are aligned with every single thing you do, this includes speaking engagements, podcast interviews, product collaborations and more.
If you are not firm in your core values you will not be prepared when someone or something might not align with your core values. Stay true to your core values and who and what you want to be in your business.
Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a business, the guiding principles that dictate how your company will run.
Your business’s values help you determine if you are on the right path to fulfilling your business goals. There are plenty of values that you can consider. Here are a few of my favorites:
PROBLEM SOLVING
Building a great company is about solving one problem after the next. If you can surround yourself with people who are excited to hop from one problem to the next, you will achieve great things.
DRIVE
I have always felt that there are three types of people: people who want things to happen, people who watch things happen, and people who make things happen. I have found that ambition can be a really powerful value if it leads to people being the change they want to see in the world.
AUTHENTICITY
There is too much at stake for a business to fall into a trap of trying to please anyone and everyone. Over the years, I have found that if people are honest, open, and direct in all they do, their relationships are solid and lasting.
COMPASSION
This is probably one of my favorite personal and professional values. Compassion is not something everyone possesses; it is a gift. The ability to understand the challenges that others deal with, what they care about, and how you can help them thrive to hit their goals and maximize their potential is a character trait I look for in everyone I interact with.
ADAPTABILITY
For me adaptability means one thing: How well can you pivot when you need to? While perfection is never possible, how well we adapt to change will determine how durable our success will be. In a world of constant speed bumps, but those who can roll with the change and still perform are prime time players you want to work with.
ACCOUNTABILITY
When we can own our part in anything good or bad we see massive growth. Blaming things on others doesn’t serve us and can stop our progression. Recognizing that we can create the results that we want is essential to success.
We have to be accountable for all the things in our business and that includes failure. Own up to what is not performing well so you can find ways to improve. If you are not accountable you may begin to sweep things under the rug or, worse, begin to point fingers or pass blame around.
INTEGRITY
Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. It is generally a personal choice to uphold oneself to consistently moral and ethical standards and a business should surround itself with people who care deeply about integrity. When this happens everyone benefits — partners, customers, and, most importantly, you.
Every business needs to make time when defining your core values in your business. Make it a priority to identify and acknowledge your values. Everything you do in your business should reflect these values. When you are clear on your core values, all your interactions, choices, and goals should reflect those values. When your business begins to scale and when you hire or work with other people, make sure your values are shared with everyone you work with to ensure you maintain the integrity of your business and brand.
