What compass do you follow?

I was at a funeral recently, listening to the priest share anecdotes about the person who had passed. The dearly departed was a giant of a man who was guided by a strong moral compass. He lived his life by a code of respect and helping others and raised his children to do the same. Everyone nodded as the priest elaborated on this foundation principle and as he talked it struck me that, many of us have important values passed on through generations but the same can not be said for many workplaces.

Oh, there are likely mission statements posted on company walls. Core values, and corporate vision are often part of an email signature.

But does anyone really know what those values are? Is there ever any discussion about the company mission statement? If not, then that’s a clear indication your compass is broken. Even worse if the company mission statement has become the butt of jokes among employees or evokes eye rolling at meetings, then you know you are off course. This is a failure in leadership.

What the company stands for should be aligned with the goals and values of senior leadership, and that should be passed down to all employees.

More and more employees are reevaluating where they work, and the kind of company they want to work for. It used to be salary, location, and perks ranked the highest amongst people looking for work or looking to move up the ladder in their careers. Now they also research the corporate values, mission statements, and foundation principles to evaluate whether it’s a good fit.  

It might be a good time, to dust off the company mission statement and have a conversation about it with your staff. If word on the street is that your company is not a good place to work, then fix it.  

Effective leaders understand the profound impact guiding principles and mission statements can have on employee engagement, performance, and overall business success.