I usually don’t reblog anything but sometimes I come across something that is so on point that there’s no need for me to say it any other way. The following about core values is from the United States government National Park Service training website:
What are Core Values?
The core values of an organization are those values we hold which form the foundation on which we perform work and conduct ourselves. We have an entire universe of values, but some of them are so primary, so important to us that through out the changes in society, government, politics, and technology they are STILL the core values we will abide by.
In an ever-changing world, core values are constant. Core values are not descriptions of the work we do or the strategies we employ to accomplish our mission. The values underlie our work, how interact with each other, and which strategies we employ to fulfill our mission. The core values are the basic elements of how we go about our work. They are the practices we use (or should be using) every day in everything we do.
CORE VALUES:
- Govern personal relationships
- Guide business processes
- Clarify who we are
- Articulate what we stand for
- Help explain why we do business the way we do
- Guide us on how to teach
- Inform us on how to reward
- Guide us in making decisions
- Underpin the whole organization
- Require no external justification
- Essential tenets
CORE VALUES ARE NOT:
- Operating practices
- Business strategies
- Cultural norms
- Competencies
- Changed in response to market/ administration changes
- Used individually
By Way of Comparison
By way of comparison, here are examples of Core Values identified by other organizations.
DISNEY – to make people happy.
- Nurture and promulgate wholesome American values.
- Creativity, Dream, Imagination.
- Preservation and control of the Disney magic.
- Absolute, meticulous attention to detail
MERCK – to preserve and improve human life.
- Corporate social responsibility.
- Unequivocal excellence in all aspects of the company.
- Science-based innovation.
- Honesty and integrity.
- Profit – from work that benefits humanity.
SONY – to experience the joy of advancing and applying technology for the benefit of the public.
- Elevation of Japanese culture and national status.
- Being a pioneer, not following others, doing the impossible.
- Encouraging individual ability and creativitiy.
U.S. ARMY
- Courage – Face fear, danger or adversity.
- Duty – Fulfill your obligations.
- Honor – Live up to all Army values.
- Integrity – Do what’s right, legally and morally.
- Loyalty – Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other soldiers.
- Respect – Treat people as they should be treated.
- Service – Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.
Our Core Values are a statement of the framework in which we accomplish our Mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, we pursue our mission. When we are challenged in fulfilling our mission, our Core Values sustain us and guide us in meeting the challenge. - National Leadership Council, 2001
The UN-Brand
I’m all for great branding, as you can see in one of my previous posts, Simple Branding. Branding should look, sound and feel good. It should be cool, catchy and let people know quickly what your brand is all about. But, there is another critical branding component that will make or break your brand. I call it The UN-Brand.
The UN-Brand is what evolves from your brand, rather unintentionally. It’s the culture, personality and tenor of your brand. It’s what people are left with after an encounter with your company, its people and your service. It speaks just as loudly as your masthead or logo, even more so. It can make or break your brand.
How you treat your customers, your brand voice, enthusiasm for your product, services and clients, how your employees and customers are valued, and other intangibles make up your UN-Brand. They are the unwritten, unspoken qualities that exude from your brand. It’s what people are saying about you once you walk away or after you’ve performed a service. It’s more than customer service. The UN-Brand develops from within and comes from the core values that your company and Brand actually embrace and embody. It’s the “how” behind the “what” of your brand. It’s the character of your company and how you get the job done that makes up your UN-Brand.
Your UN-Brand will reveal itself on its own. I’ve witnessed this with my own brand. My area of expertise is Strategic Communications and Relationship Building skills, specifically, Social Media, Business Communications, and Interpersonal Interactions. I teach and train people how to communicate effectively, position and promote their brand, attract customers and get great results. If you look at comments from customers and clients who interact with me, you’ll hear words like: dynamic, inspiring, joyful, open-hearted, motivating, insightful, authentic, transparent, and compelling. Not much to do with the what of my brand but a lot about how I get the job done.
Another great example of UN-Branding in action is the SAS Corporation. SAS is the definitive leader in analysis and business software. They are known worldwide for excellence in analytics. They’re also known for some amazing things that have nothing to do with their brand that clearly set them apart from other companies. SAS is known for how well they treat their employees.
I would argue that it is probably one of the biggest reasons that their products are great and they have such wide success without being a publicly traded company. In an article by 60 Minutes called “Working the Good Life“, you find that the company has only 3% turnover, offers employees a 90% discount to the company owned country club, has in-house social workers to help employees with problems and so much more. They’ve developed a culture of creativity, innovation and results through treating people as if they are a valued, trusted resource.
Some of the intangible qualities that make up the UN-Brand
How to develop a great UN-Brand
Ask yourself the following questions to develop a great presence.
Allow these three questions to be the platform of developing your mission and vision statements for your company and your brand.
The ends do not justify the means. Attention to how we grow is just as important as the growth. I challenge people to consider how they want to be perceived in the marketplace and think of those intangible qualities that go beyond efficiency and numbers. Allow that desired perception to guide your brand as well. While numbers and results are critically important, none of it matters if you, your company or employees have poor interactions, communication and encounters with clients and customers.
Brands and companies are made up of living, breathing people who are interacting with other people to provide a product or service. How your customers feel about the service along with the service itself keeps them coming back. By attention to the how everything gets done, your desired perception and how you want people to, UN-Brand
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