Every organization is navigating the current business landscape. However, you may look around and wonder how some have forged a path while others are still deciding which direction to lead the team.
What if you had a map and a compass? Would that help you start navigating in the right direction?
While a defined organizational mission is the map, and the vision is like an “X” on the map that tells us where we are trying to go, what good is a map if you don’t know which way it is oriented? Organizational values provide a compass.
Benefit of Values
Values inform organizational decisions, behaviors, and performance. When we think of values, we often think of words such as respect, innovation, and accountability. Values guide the expectations of the journey. They inform employees at all levels about what is and isn't acceptable, how we interact, and what to do when faced with a decision that isn’t clear.
However, just having a compass isn’t helpful if we don’t use it. The same applies to organizational values. You must use them and communicate them effectively. Communicating values effectively ensures that everyone on the team knows the path we are taking and its boundaries.
The more we embed these values in our conversations, brand, policies, and culture, the clearer they become. As we blaze our path forward, that path becomes increasingly defined and easier to navigate for those following our lead.
Values also help us redirect behavior and performance when anyone veers off course. For example, if the organization values accountability and an employee consistently misses deadlines, we can use that value to reinforce that missed deadlines do not align with accountability. This opens an opportunity to explore what obstacles may exist for this employee and allows us to redirect the behavior and get back on track. Having clearly identified values, with a clear definition of what the values look and feel like, empowers employees and reduces ambiguity.
Value Your People
While a compass is a valuable tool, it must be calibrated correctly, or it may lead you off course. That’s why you must ensure that your compass has a “true north.” Many organizations fail to realize that “true north” on an organizational compass is people. Many organizational values emphasize identity, ethics, and customers, but fail to recognize the value of the people driving the mission.
According to MetLife’s 2025 workforce study, only 53% of employees feel valued at work, which is a significant decline from the previous year and reflects disengagement across the workforce. To recalibrate their compass and ensure a “true north,” organizations must value their employees by implementing a people-first strategy and people-centric values.
Here are some examples of people-centric values:
How to Recalibrate
If your compass is not currently calibrated, follow these steps to recalibrate it.
-
-
Gauge your current direction – Audit your current values; do they emphasize the employee experience?
-
Seek input – Use internal meetings, one-on-ones, surveys, etc., to understand what values resonate with employees.
-
Collaborate – Include employees in the process of developing people-centric values by incorporating their feedback.
-
Communicate and Model – Weave the values into the fabric of your organization by modeling and reinforcing them in daily operations.
-
Performance – Use organizational values to steer feedback conversations; address behavior through the lens of value realignment.
-
Recognition – Provide rewards and recognition to leaders and employees who demonstrate the values.
-
Ongoing recalibration – Just as a GPS reroutes when you change direction, revisit your values periodically to ensure your compass remains calibrated.
Gain Buy-In
To generate buy-in, you must demonstrate a positive business impact. According to Forbes, employers with people-centric cultures benefit from increased innovation, creativity, retention, engagement, commitment, customer experience, trust, loyalty, and self-sufficiency. However, you can’t just say it; you also have to mean it, and it must be reflected in the actions of every employee, starting at the highest levels of leadership. Employers Council can assist with this through leadership coaching and our Leadership Through Change training course.
Having direction only works if the direction is worth following. If the organization doesn’t demonstrate that it values the people who execute the mission, you are navigating without a “true north.” Which is why it is worth asking: Is our compass truly guiding us where we want to go? Or is it time to recalibrate it?
Employers Council's experienced staff can help. Contact us at info@employerscouncil.org.
Brandy Walker, SPHR, is a Human Resources Consultant for Employers Council.