Do businesses really need values?

It is natural for people to value their acquaintances, their work, their possessions, and, most of all, their lives. But what about businesses? From small startups to big international companies, businesses need to know what they and their entire team should value in their professional journey. Having gone along this path myself, I can assure you — properly set values can make any business’ journey a breeze. 

I might have ended my article here and now. But setting values is not as simple as it may seem. It involves a lot of thought and requires a deep understanding of business goals and a clear vision of the future. They can also distinguish a good company from a great one. 

Among my favorite values of global businesses are Google’s “There is always more information out there”, Amazon’s “Dive Deep”, Coca-Cola’s “We value human and workplace rights — For 130+ years, we have built a reputation on trust and respect – everywhere we do business.”, and Airbnb’s “Embrace the adventure”. 

At SupportYourApp, we have 8 main values. Among them are Respect, Teamwork, Challenge, and Responsibility. All 8 of them not only form our relationship with each other and our clients and their customers, but also help us go through tough times. After all, we have already gone through the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, and now the Russian war against our country. 

Should any business invest into developing and upholding its values? What good can values do for a company and its team? 

First off, values shape the culture. It is especially true when it comes to big companies that are constantly expanding their teams. Every newcomer brings something new to the team and, as much as they have to adapt to their new environment, the team has to adapt to them. And values can help expedite and streamline this process. 

Setting Teamwork, Productivity, or People as business values can show newcomers what is really cherished and what steps are taken to remove roadblocks and resolve all questions that may arise during one’s career path in a company. Setting clear values and making sure everyone on the team abides by them will not only help any business set up its culture. It will help maintain it too. 

Like the proverbial sense of self, values can set the identity of a business and a brand. What does a company really want? What are its goals? How can its team know where to move and what to do to achieve results? These are the questions that can be answered with a clear set of values. After all, when a business is open to talk about its Respect of Work-Life Balance, Champion the Mission, or Integrity it shows its identity and the things it is willing to respect to ensure its team is as comfortable and productive as possible. 

A business that understands its values can distinguish itself in the market for both those who want to work for it and those who want to work with it. Speaking of… 

Values can help attract the right people and improve motivation. In short, they can be viewed as a template to check potential teammates and business partners against. It is a standard practice at SupportYourApp. All members of our team pay close attention to whether newcomers are sharing our values and are ready to communicate with their team within the set scopes. This allows us to tailor the team to not only be effective and professional, but to share the same interests and views of work and professional relationships. 

What should businesses do if their values do not align with their partners’ or team members’? 

For SupportYourApp, our values are our beacons that help us shape a healthy relationship with both our team and our clients. We are always open and honest with our team and clients. We are also always ready to part ways with those clients and team members who defy our values. This way, we always know — we can rely on anyone we are working with at any given time, as we share the same worldview.

And, finally, values help set goals for the future. Take Teamwork. For some, this may be an empty word. For others, it is a radar of how team processes should be set up, what steps would be taken to streamline communication, and what people should be added to the team when required. It’s the same with values like Dedication or Attentiveness — they can easily serve as rails for the train we call business goals and help businesses set their direction with hiring, signing new clients, and promoting existing team members. 

For me, there are 5 clear rules of dealing with my company’s values: 

• I observe them myself
• I am ready to say goodbye to those who disrespect them
• I turn to my team to see if we need to upgrade the list as the Company grows and changes
• I remember about their importance in our success and growth
• I communicate them to the entire team

Just like any human, every business needs values. They show a company cares and looks into the future, all the while anchoring its position and team workflow in the present. They can also evolve as a company grows and transforms. The main thing is for every value to be truly observed by every member of the team, rather than simply be empty words in a business’ Team Policy documents.