54a: Create company values from stories in your life

I’ve seen companies that have values written on walls. But I’ve never known why their values are on the wall.

If you’re a leader looking to find your company values, look at your life. It’s your company, and leaders rarely change in companies, unlike employees. That’s why your values are the company’s values if you are small enough (not corporate).

When you come up with values, you must explain why they are your values. If stories pour out one after another, then you found it. Tell these stories to people, and they will stick. People remember how you made them feel. When you tell a story, you create feelings. That’s why stories stick.

If you’re interviewing a company that puts core values everywhere in public, ask why these are their values. If they answer well, then the culture is strong. If not, there are some problems there.


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