Vision-casting and team-building is a very important part of the Scale phase in a business’s growth. A team has to know what the goals are, what the plan is to get there, and they have to be able to comprehend how they each individually fit in that picture. It is the responsibility of a company’s leaders to articulate core values, systems, roles, objectives, and long range vision.
Starting with core values, you can help shape the experience and spur the motivation of your employees to reach goals together. Consider the Core Values of Walls By Design:
- Be a guest – we are guests in other people’s homes
- Be a communicator – communicate in all directions to teammates, supervisors, and customers
- Be a problem solver – don’t ignore problems, but take them head-on
- Be a team player – set up your other teammates to win
- Be thoughtful – look for ways to serve the customer and your team members
Do you have a set of Core Values that you revisit with your team on a continual basis? If not, consider writing some ideas down and taking them to your leadership. Get your Core Values down to 4-10 primary drives that characterize the kind of company you are trying to build.
Once you have a set of Core Values, consider the following questions. How do you express them routinely in your company? How are these Core Values informing and shaping your processes and goals? Does your long range vision align with your Core Values? How are you encouraging buy-in of your Core Values among your team members?
The relationship between your Core Values and your strategy for growth and expansion needs to be fairly direct. Ask yourself and your team how your Core Values are designed to help you scale. If the connection between your company’s values and your growth strategy and systems seem vague at best, consider reformulating your values to form a more direct connection with your long range vision. Set a series of meetings for the year in which you communicate those values and goals to the team. Challenge yourself to get creative on how you communicate your values and vision, and how you encourage buy-in from your team.
