Company values, when fully articulated and embraced by you and your team make your business better. Hands down. But they must be consistently lived and demonstrated to be effective.
If you are starting your financial planning practice DO NOT skip this step. Your values will become a significant part of building your ‘story’ and setting your standards.
For those of you who have been running your practice for a while, a refresh of your company values can be a great way to re-engage staff and re-centre their focus.
Your company values describe the fundamental beliefs of a business. They guide your decision making, strategising and prioritising of tasks.
They also act as a moral compass to all those inside your business. They should be inward looking – a standard for behaviour and performance for all staff members. Within The Wealth Network we conduct all of our staff performance reviews so that staff are measured solely against our values.
Netflix have been widely applauded for putting together and living a set of values whereby their management and staff know very specifically the attributes they are expected to demonstrate and how they are expected to demonstrate them. On reading them it becomes obvious how both management decisions and staff performance could be measured against these principles.
Netflix Company Values
Judgement
You identify root causes and get beyond treating symptoms. You think strategically, and can articulate what you are, and are not, trying to do. You are good at using data to inform your intuition.
Courage
You say what you think, when it’s in the best interest of Netflix even if it is uncomfortable. You are willing to be critical of the status quo. You question actions inconsistent with our values.
Selflessness
You seek what is best for Netflix, rather than what is best for yourself or your group. You are open-minded in search of the best ideas. You make time to help colleagues.
Inclusion
You collaborate effectively with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures. You nurture and embrace differing perspectives to make better decisions. You intervene if someone else is being marginalised.
Be Passionate
You’re here because of your unique talents and the fire in your belly to do something meaningful. It shines through in ways that raises the bar for all of us. Never stop growing.
Be Decisive
Have a point of view based on data, experience, and instincts. Make the call and own the outcome. Speed matters, because the greatest risk is standing still.
Learn Fast
We’re in love with customer problems more than our solutions. We walk in our customers’ shoes and experiment our way to success. The only failure is the failure to learn fast.
Win Together
Small diverse teams drive our work and 90% of the decisions are made here. We accelerate each other in pursuit of our mission. We break down barriers. Together, we are one Intuit.
When developing your own set of company values, remember that they should be based on human emotion, not on profit. For best results, choose those that are close to your heart personally and will resonate with your right people.
Try to stick with five or fewer to ensure your focus is dialled in. Here are some ideas.
Top 50 Inspired Company Values for Financial Planners
1. Do the right thing. Always
2. Be Accountable. If it is to be, it’s up to me
3. Integrity: We make responsible decisions based on professional standards
4. Integrity: We are honest, open, ethical, and fair. People trust us to adhere to our word
5. Unity: We are strongest when we work together as a team
6. Empathy: We care about all of our stakeholders
7. Quality: What we do, we do well
8. Professionalism: Act in a manner that demonstrates exemplary professional conduct
9. Long-Term View: We look beyond the present to deliver future value
10. Agility: We challenge the status quo with open minds, focus, and speed
11. Innovation: We encourage thoughtful, creative and inspirational ideas
12. Diversity: We know it takes people with different ideas, strengths, interests, and cultural backgrounds to make our company succeed
13. We encourage healthy debate and differences of opinion
14. Growth: We develop professionally through expanding our capabilities with innovative training
15. Collaboration: Leverage collective genius
16. We are entrepreneurial. We take risks, reach beyond boundaries and experiment
17. We are always moving forward, innovating, and improving.
18. We use our drive and commitment to energize, engage and inspire others
19. We execute to exceptional standards
20. We strive to minimize our negative impact on the environment
21. Communicate fearlessly to build trust
22. Bring out the best in everyone
23. Make a little magic
24. Focus on the customer and all else will follow
25. Fast is better than slow
26. You can make money without doing evil
27. You can be serious without a suit
28. Focus on impact
29. Be bold
30. Be rigorous. Get it right
31. Be a sponge
32. Focus on making people happier and more successful
33. Dare to be different
34. Simplify the complex at every opportunity
35. Master the fundamentals
36. Full disclosure and transparency
37. Be present. Connect with transparency, dignity and respect
38. Grow our business in a way that makes us proud
39. Passion and personality matter
40. Deliver WOW Through Service
41. Embrace and drive change
42. Create fun and a little weirdness
43. Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded
44. Pursue growth and learning
45. Build a positive team and family spirit
46. Do more with less
47. Keep your promises
48. Encourage intellectual curiosity
49. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Celebrate successes
50. Create memorable connections. Be famous for friendly service