Create Actionable Core Values
Highlighting the values that are core to your organization
Your core values are a set of beliefs that shape your vision, culture, direction, offerings and marketing. Typically birthed out of your why, your core values act as a governor for what your brand will and will not do.
For your internal culture, your core values should be known and believed by your entire company—incorporated into everything the company does internally. When used as a decision-making filter, your set of values can help employees make confident choices that their actions are on-brand.
With today’s consumers willing to spend more money on brands that share similar values, bringing your core values to the front and center of your marketing efforts can also prove to be highly beneficial.
In the following examples, note how the core values intentionally incorporate many verbs (actions) to encourage each value to be seen in the context of a practical action. This personalizes the core values and allows the internal culture to recognize when they are or are not operating according to the values of the brand.
Here are some great examples of well-written core values by some brands you know:
Build-A-Bear
Reach, Learn, Di-bear-sity Colla-bear-ate Give, Cele-bear-ate
Tom’s Shoes
Give Sustainably, Welcome Feedback and Help Us Improve, Help Our Shoes Have a Bigger Impact
Zappos
Embrace and Drive Change, Create Fun and A Little Weirdness, Pursue Growth and Learning, Do More With Less, Be Humble
“Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave them all over everything you do.”
Whole Foods proudly promotes their core values in the store for their customers to see.
How to get started
YOUR FIRST STEP : To create your core values, begin with a verb. Your core values should be seen as an actionable, decision-making tool. Keep them short, personal and memorable. Try to limit your values to between 4-8, this will keep them from becoming forgettable.
