Talented people are always looking to work for organizations that are enthusiastic, energetic, and creative. And when your business is well known and respected for being honest, respectful, and generous it's easy to recruit the cream of the crop. Positive organizational values are most effectively translated through how your company lives and breathes not through words on a recruiting flyer or a website. The challenge is how do you create a company that truly runs on its values and utilizes your culture to recruit employees that live by those same values?
Find the Matching Personality Types
First, in defining your values you have to be very clear using everyday language that people understand and incorporate real-life examples to show those values in action.
During the recruitment process, you must design interview questions, even testing techniques that allow you to filter through potential hires to find the right "matches". Southwest Airlines is a perfect example of a company that makes the effort to align the employees they hire with the values they espouse as an organization. If someone is interested in working for Southwest who happens to be uptight or negative they will most likely have a difficult time during the hiring process.
Align Your Image and Your Messaging
Building a strong corporate culture is also important to ensure your business continues to showcase the values you promote. Culture is defined in many different ways but it is essentially captured by what your employees say about your organization during the conversation. What do they say at the backyard barbeque when someone asks about where they work? What kinds of words do they use to describe their employer? What kind of social image is created? Do they believe values are aligned with daily operations? How do they work when folks are looking and is it the same or different from how they behave when people are not watching? These behaviors and attitudes directly impact organizational values and provide insight into whether or not your culture reflects the types of values you champion.
Make it Intentional
Finally, your values must be intentional. The right culture and reinforcement don't just happen. It happens because the leadership team and everyone else throughout the organization work to make it a part of everyday life. Let everyone know that these values exist in your business. What is integrity to you? How does your team illustrate this value every day? Decisions that are made for the right reason - not just for profit - should be rewarded, recognized, and highlighted. Take Chick-Fil-A for instance the successful fast-food business is known for its strong family values. Decades ago the decision to close on Sundays was made to give all employees a chance to spend one day a week with loved ones. Through videos and personal discussions, Chick-Fil-A's employees are told that everyone has a story and that people are all human beings worthy of good service and great food. Attracting the right type of employees who share your principles and standards is an important part of ensuring your team lives and breathes the values you work hard to promote. By finding the right "matching" core values in the people you hire, aligning your firm's image and messaging, and being intentional about it you can create a culture of like-minded and successful people who are happy to work with you and others on your team.