This year I was introduced to a great resource: Mark Lefko of The Lefko Group, a corporate retreat and facilitation company, offers a free eBook on a topic that he has a passion for: the value-based organization. I downloaded and read Unlock the Power of Your Team: How to Build a Powerful Organization Through Principles and Values one afternoon. It was an empowering exercise, and as I’ve told my colleagues, it’s not that I didn’t have values, but I hadn’t spent much time articulating them.
Here are the values I was able to articulate for New Incite, using The Lefko Group’s eBook:
As a CMO for Hire for business owners, I provide creativity, clarity and perspective to drive better marketing decisions. I act as a visionary for my clients, adopting and understanding new marketing technologies and tactics early so that I can advise them on new marketing innovation. At the same time, my recommendations are pragmatic and fit my clients’ budgets and resources, ensuring marketing sustainability over time.
Identify your organization’s values along with your vision and mission statement. Your values, vision and mission statement should be clear before you plan your marketing and create marketing messages for your target audiences. People today don’t just buy products and services based solely on features. They buy because of the stories and experiences of the people and the company that offer the products and services. If your materials convey your values, you will appeal to the right people with a more meaningful story.
What are your organization’s values? How do you communicate them to the stakeholders (employees, customers, vendors, partners, shareholders, etc.) of your organization?