Question

Topic: Branding

Marketing Our Companies Vision, Mission And Values

Posted by Anonymous on 4/14/2008 at 6:29 AM ET 250 Points
We have recently created a mission, vision and value statement for our company. We have approximately 400 staff members at the various regions/departments. We are looking for ways to instill these values into our members and have the vision and mission always visible. Can you please assist with some ideas of ways to display these.
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  • Posted by Harry Hallman on 4/14/2008 at 7:58 AM Member
    Over the years, I have helped develop a number of internal communication programs designed to spread the word about new company visions and missions. Of course, you must communicate the vision in a manner that creates buzz within the company. The ways are too numerous to put in this response. However, the single most important aspect of programs like this is to follow up.

    The follow up must be based on management living and promoting the vision. People should be rewarded (can be a simple “well done”) for things they do right, based on the mission, (in public) and they should be (in private) told when they do something wrong and taught how to do it correctly. A good guide is Ken Blanchard’s “One Minute Manager.”

    I have seen multi-million dollar programs dashed to the rocks by management not following through. One was an innovation program requisition by the Chairman of a very large company. A change consultant was hired (they got most of the money) and we were hired to do the communications part of the program. We developed posters, handouts, had a meeting with the top 50 executives, created a “meeting in a box” to be used by the 150 second level managers for their divisions, and held a meeting of for those 150 managers to explain it all.

    The whole concept of the program was to get people to take risk, to think out side of the current corporate box, and to instill a sense of competition. It was marvelous, and it all came to a stretching halt and whet down burning, when the CFO gave a speech and told everyone to “go out and be innovative, but just don’t screw up.”
  • Posted by Levon on 4/14/2008 at 1:29 PM Member
    There are many ways to re-enforce the new mission and values: meetings, memos, emails, on the wall, in the lunch areas. Actually dedicating a workshop to the mission to understanding it would be key. In-fact if you were to offer food and refreshments - it may even go down as a hit!
  • Posted by kaythrelkeld on 4/14/2008 at 1:37 PM Member
    As Howard noted your employees should be rewarded for things that they do right based on your mission, vision and values. Then you need to share these real life examples of implementation with all the company employees.

    I had a very successful program that used framed posters, stories in internal communications, and presentation of a special item that they can use in the work place that denotes this recognition. This works well in an organization where the leadership actually “walks the talk”.

    Another nice touch is a letter sent to the employee’s home by the company president recognizing their accomplishment. The letter lets them share the accomplishment and also shows they work for a good company.

    Good luck with your implementation, it can really be fun.
  • Posted by elena on 4/16/2008 at 8:52 AM Member
    Posting the mission, vision or values statements on the wall is the kiss of death. So many companies take the process to that point, and then post the statement as a "fait accompli" that they can point at with smug satisfaction. They never undertake the real work of communicating - a two way street. Employees quickly recognize this lip service and cynicism results.

    We introduced "reality check" sessions where employees were asked to look at their day-to-day activities vis a vis the statements, looking for both successes and inconsistencies. Those inconsistencies are then addresses. This puts real meaning behind the statements and encourages people to really "live" them.
  • Posted by kschindler on 4/19/2008 at 10:46 PM Accepted
    I'm going to guess (and hope) that these new v/m/v statements were created by the executives (and further hope that they're at least remotely reflected in the values of the staff at large). In that case, the execs should already be wedded to them. If they feel passionately about them, this will be sucessful. If they don't, do not waste any more of your time on this.

    So the execs are on board. Now to get the staff. First, have HR recast their ENTIRE recruiting program around the goals. For each main area of your core values, they should come up with 20-50 interview questions that everyone who interviews any potential new hire will use. All hiring decisions should be made based on how well that candidate fits your value profile (and yes technical competency can be one.) Make sure no one walks through your doors that can't abide by and advance those values.

    Second, have HR create a recognition and rewards program ENTIRELY around the values: employee of the month for collaboration! Team of the quarter for innovation! Whatever. Reward your current staff for behaviors you want to encourage.

    Third, (yes this is HR again), make sure that the annual performance plans are built ENTIRELY around the values: make staff set goals at the beginning of the year in each of the value categories, and measure them against it.

    Finally, give templates, encouragement, or other incentives for sharing info on the v/m/v at staff meetings, executive updates (first slide should always be the same thing: v/m/v statement for 18 months), company newsletters, portals, etc have some regular drumbeat about the values; 1) why they are important, 2) who is demonstrating them, 3) WHY IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. This last part can't be emphasized too much. Don't say Sally was collaborative. Say Sally's collaboration with John created a new take on an old solution that allowed a client to get their data in faster/cleaner/better than their competition.

    In sum: be extraordinarily specific about what behavior you expect, create opportunities for people to demonstrate it; and acknowledge people's contributions that spell out in stark detail exactly how their behavior made a diff.

  • Posted on 4/20/2008 at 6:36 AM Member
    What about hiring a speaker to turns them and other information about the company into songs?

    Put them on their computers as wall paper. This way they see it daily :)

    Ask this question to your employees and have some sort of contest.

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