The Importance of Defining Company Values

As a job seeker or hiring manager, you’ve probably heard the phrase “company values” many times. It can be a bit of buzzword, but at FGP we truly believe company values are an integral part of our organization. While it’s important to showcase your values externally to stakeholders, it’s even more critical to engrain your values internally, as a way to positively impact your culture and set clear expectations for employees.

At FGP, we have defined our values with three simple words: Great, Growth, and Gratitude. These are our 3 G’s. We like them because they are clear and attainable values that everyone who is a part of the FGP family can strive for each day, no matter the role they play in our organization.

Values are not necessarily tangible or measurable, but we see how they play out in our attitude, commitment to excellence, and how we interact with our team, clients, and candidates each day. Our goal has always been to build great companies through great people, and with that in mind, we believe that defining company values can create consistency, encourage personal and professional growth, help set clear goals, and ultimately enable company growth.

Creates consistency and clear expectations.

History has proven that a common denominator in company failures is a result of inconsistency and unclear expectations – either on a large or small scale. Inconsistency can create chaos and confusion, often resulting in a loss of time, energy, and money for the entire team.

Setting your values is like drawing a map for your team. Your values drive each decision made, creating clear expectations and a guide for successful decision-making. Defining concrete standards is what will hold your company together as you are working towards your goals. Additionally, clear expectations and consistency will ultimately boost company culture by cultivating an encouraging, welcoming, and positive environment.

Encourages growth.

Defining values within your company creates alignment and clarity across departments, which facilitates increased productivity, enhanced commitment to the organization, and ultimately higher retention rates among your team. With these key contributors in place, organizational growth and scaling is much easier to obtain, ultimately driving long-term success for the company. The best way to start positive change within a company? Start at the root and create building blocks from there. Creating values (and owning them!) builds a starting place that will help connect your employees to something bigger than themselves, cultivating positive culture and sustainable growth.

Sets goals.

Once values are defined, you can set goals and touchpoints around them. How are you reminding your team about your values? How do you recognize your team for their commitment to your values? Make sure your values aren’t just something you say or read – prioritize acting them out each day.

At FGP we are consistently focused on our 3 G’s. Sure, they are on our website, social media, and discussed during company meetings. But we also make sure they translate into words of action, ensuring that each member of our team is truly committed to living them out in how we engage with each other as well as our partners. The bottom line is to make sure you have values – but also make sure your team is truly committed to them at a personal, team, and organizational level. They will keep you grounded and will ultimately drive success.