Starting a business doesn’t always begin with visioning documents and strategic plans. For many, running an organization doesn’t even include conversations about company culture or values. Maybe this describes your style… You have created your business as the result of enjoying the skills you possess, delivering results, impacting the lives of the people you serve, or simply finding a way to pay the bills. The last thing you want to do is sit down and think about how to articulate the abstract concepts of business philosophy, especially if it requires a ton of introspection and personal evaluating. It just doesn’t seem like a valuable use of time when there is so much work to do, right?
Maybe you are right. According to the blog post, “Make Your Values Mean Something”, Patrick Lencioni makes the case that it is better to not have any values at all than to attest to having company values without being committed to them. This is true for all business philosophy… it’s not inherently valuable. In other words, keep your hand to the plow if you don’t plan to let your values govern your business.
But what if taking some time to consider your approach to business is worth the extra effort. What if identifying core values could help you stay in control of your work instead of allowing it to control you? What if identifying a clear picture of success could increase the synergy on your team and their ability to produce greater results in stride with you? And here’s the million-dollar question: What if you could borrow these values from somebody else’s success so that you do not have to wrestle through these abstract exercises alone?
This is exactly the exercise we have gone through here at PowerSlice Software and it has been incredibly helpful in getting established. Identifying examples of success has allowed us to base our business philosophy around proven, illustrated principles that are easy to digest and apply. Borrowing from others continually inspires us toward success. There is an important distinction that must be understood — this exercise helped us articulate values, not create them. If you do not possess these convictions you are attempting to borrow, they will be of no benefit to you. Chances are that you already have a definition of success and a set of values that has been leading you and now it’s time to give them more clarity and influence. Next week, I will share with you our experience of walking through this simple process.
You can read “Borrowing Success – Part 2” by clicking HERE