THE VALUES DRIVEN COMPANY
Free: a series of interviews with leaders in organisations that live and breathe their values
THE VALUES DRIVEN COMPANY
A series of interviews with leaders in organisations that live and breathe their values.
The challenge now facing companies of every size – from multi-nationals to local SMEs – is unprecedented. Their way of operating, behaviours, indeed their very purpose is being scrutinised by all stakeholders – and will be continually evaluated.
Arguably the influence of Generation Z means that a business not only has to stand for something but has to be genuine and authentic and seen to be actively living rather than passively stating its values. Because increasingly, that is going to be a key consideration for customers, employees, and every other stakeholder.
Identifying, clarifying, implementing, instilling and living by the foundation attributes of a values driven company will result in trust, resilience, sustainability, and the ability to consistently deliver what it says it is going to.
For a book co-commissioned by People Business, we will be talking to owners and directors whose companies have been on the journey. They are going to be sharing their thoughts on what they see as the specific issues relating to developing a values driven organisation and how that can be achieved (including the obstacles and how they can be addressed).
How did they make their values distinctive as well as real? Has it changed the interaction with staff, customers, and suppliers? Can they say that a values driven company gains better traction in achieving its goals, such as meeting accreditations, in recruitment and retention, being innovative and delighting the customer?
Leading up to publication in DECISION magazine, the latest thought-provoking interview to be included in the report will be available below for you to read.
Insightful interviews with business leaders on the values driven company
Anthony Young and Matt Young
Co-founders
“If your values are a reflection of the company’s DNA, in addition to making everyone in the business purpose-driven, they massively differentiate you in your market sector”
Henry Braithwaite
Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer
“If a company is committed to its values, it has to give its employees permission to hold it accountable for living up to them, but for that to happen, those values have to be clearly defined and communicated.”
Sam Bangle
Co-founder and Director
“… our values don’t need to be communicated outside of the company – it’s about our people living them, what it is that we do on a daily basis. Actions speak louder than putting a poster up about values in reception.”
Mike Danson & Kelly White
Executive Chairman & Chief People Officer
“If a company makes sure its leaders fully understand the values and communicate them, the cultural guardian is not a piece of paper. Through the leadership actively living them, values will endure.”
Matt Parker
Chief Executive
“When a company is growing, you need points of reference to guide you. If we are clear about our values, the likelihood is that they will match those of other stakeholders, which means there is a better chance of being able to live those values holistically.”
Gemma Bolton
People Director
“For me, (values) are at the core of all we do as a person and as a business, a mindset which is demonstrated by how we behave and which is applied to how a company looks after its people.”
Dr Ken Shuttleworth
Founder Director
“What values should do is to enable you to determine the right course of action, which will lead you to do the right thing.”
Bruce Bratley
Chief Executive
“Any company can make money, but if you are actually values driven as a business, it means you are following principles which determine how you do it… And as a business grows, values, if they are formalised, protect its ethos.”
Ronnie George
Chief Executive
“Values are something with which we can hold each other to account, and if a company doesn’t live up to them, there is no framework for consistency.”
Ian Talbot
Chief Executive
“Unless people can express values as they see and feel them, it’s a false or forced culture.”
Greg Watson
Chief Executive
“When we talk about our values, those conversations must also be authentic. They can’t be all ‘sunshine’ or people will think the company is living a different reality.”
Sean Taylor
Co-founder and Chief Executive
“Living its values gives a company a buzz. You might not be able to measure it, but you can sense the energy.”
Claire Head
Chief People and Culture Officer
“Values provide the moral compass which steers you collectively with a common purpose. Increasingly it’s not just what you do as an organisation but how you do it which matters to people.”
Joe Hemani
Chairman
“There are two particular points about values. One is that what matters to me might not be a value which is that important to you. The second is that there should be an overriding value which I define as honesty in everything you do.”
Vikita Patel & Rosie Guest
Chief Human Resources Officer & Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
“… a set of values will give an aura of sophistication but they will also serve as a guide for a rapidly expanding and acquisitive business.”
Nimesh Shah
Chief Executive
“You could say the bottom line is that our values are why we exist and are able to achieve what we do, and I would describe culture as what is established if those values are actually behaviours.”