What are Core Values?
A core value of an organization is a unique, defining characteristic that comes above any other business consideration. It is essential that everyone knows what they are, and that they know what it means to embody that core value. In practice, this means that before any major decision is made in a company, it needs to be vetted through the lens of a core value. If a business is purely profit-driven and doesn’t have a core set of values to accompany its mission, then that business could lose its way, which may lead to negative societal and environmental outcomes.
At 1UP, we strive to be grounded in our core values. These values help us determine every aspect of our business, including which clients we should work with, which potential people are right for our team, and ultimately, how we deliver our services.
With that being said, our core values are not static ‘rules’. Instead, they evolve as we face new challenges, changes to the industry we work within, and the ecosystems in which we operate. We have regular meetings to discuss our core values and take time to refine them every now and then. This ensures that they are reflective of our aspirations and the community that we operate in.
Without further ado, here are 1UP’s core values:
- We care
- We lead
- We make a positive impact
Without a little context these values can seem fairly generic, so here is a further explanation of each:
We Care
In this industry, and during these remote times, it is easy to forget that it is the people behind every business. Many companies focus solely on metrics and results while neglecting the relationships and people behind the business. While we pride ourselves on driving fantastic results, we also prioritize open communication, empathy, humour, and transparency, which leads to great relationships with our clients. We aim to be an extension of their team and to have meetings that everyone is excited to attend.
We Lead
At 1UP, we believe that everyone can be a leader in their own area of expertise in their own way. This means that they could be thought leaders in their area, and they push for positive change with everything that they do. They take ownership of results and do what it takes to get the job done, which often means following up with others to motivate them to complete their responsibilities so that the project can be completed on time.
We Make A Positive Impact
Leaving a positive impact is fairly subjective, and so we want to clarify that our ambition is to leave every situation that we engage in better than we found it. This means that we want to improve our clients’ businesses, along with our team’s morale. We want to be positive role models in our community, and also care for the environment at large. Lastly, we take a step back and appreciate the success of our clients and our team, so that this develops a sense of gratitude and helps to also have a long-lasting positive impact.
We developed our core values as part of the Entrepreneurial Operating System, and have made a commitment to not just list them, but to review them, have everyone on our team know them, and live them day by day.
Does your business have core values?
2024 Update:
We distilled our Core Values into the simplest and clearest form. We found our early Core Values had so many factors to them, that they were difficult to remember and articulate, which meant that they were difficult to follow.
Our ‘refined’ Core Values came about by looking at the shared elements that were reflected in the longer-form values, and asking what aspect stands out.