Vision Mission and Values

Aligning values vision mission & goals – The foundation of an organization - David Grusenmeyer

Core Values

Even though we frequently talk about mission and vision first, the basic underlying foundation for both are our core values. Core values are the principles and standards at the very center of our character, and from which we will not budge or stray. Core values are extremely stable and change only very slowly over long periods of time. Core values form the basis for our beliefs about life, ourselves and those around us, and the human potential of ourselves and others. Values and beliefs form our attitudes and guide our behavior. The behaviors we engage in are what people around us see, along with our skills and actions. Our outer or public shell of behaviors and skills can change rapidly and dramatically through our lives, influenced by our environment and guided by our more stable core values and beliefs.

For some people identifying and communicating personal core values can be a difficult task. Core values are so close to the center of whom we are that they tend to be very protected and not shared with others until a personal relationship has been established. The fact that these values are so central to what’s important to us individually, makes it all the more important to think about them first as a basis for establishing sound and meaningful mission, vision and goals in both our life and business.

Once the values of an individual or organization are identified, it’s frequently useful to rank them from more to less important. Then when questions come up later where one value must be traded off against another the decision will be easier to make and communicate. For example, say the core values of a company business are efficiency, family, safety and respect for others. If a question comes up about implementing a practice that will improve operational efficiency but may compromise the health and safety of employees, knowing the relative importance...