To achieve success, every team needs to share a set of core values. These values guide their actions and decisions. They create a strong foundation for teamwork, communication, and productivity.

By embracing these common principles, teams can work together more effectively and achieve their goals. In this article, we will explore five core values that are essential for any team to succeed.

What Are Core Values and Why Matter for Teams?

Core values are fundamental beliefs and highest priorities that guide behavior and decision-making. They are important for teams because they create a shared understanding of what is most important to the team and help align everyone’s efforts toward a common goal.

Teams can find out their core values by engaging in exercises and discussions to identify what matters most to each team member and finding commonalities among those values. Sharing values is important for helping teams do great work because it creates a sense of unity and purpose, leading to increased motivation and productivity.

When team members share the same core values, they are more likely to work cohesively, communicate effectively, and make decisions that benefit the team as a whole, ultimately leading to greater success.

How to Find Out What Your Team’s Core Values Are

One way to find out a team’s core values is to talk with team members. They can share what they think the team’s core values are, based on their experiences. Also, leaders can look at how the team behaves and makes decisions. This can show what the team’s core values might be. The review should include the team’s actions, communication, and interactions, to see what values guide these behaviors.

Finally, the team can talk together to decide on their core values. They can discuss, agree on, and think about their values together. This makes sure that everyone agrees on the team’s core values, which helps everyone work well together.

Five Must-Have Values for Every Successful Team

Trust: Teams Need to Believe in Each Other

Trust is important for teams. It helps them work well together and creates a positive environment. When team members trust each other, they can collaborate and communicate better. To build trust, it’s important to be transparent, honest, and open in all interactions. This means sharing information, giving feedback, and admitting mistakes. Encouraging teamwork and mutual respect also helps to strengthen relationships and build trust within the team.

Trust has a big impact on a team’s success, asit boosts motivation and productivity. When team members trust each other, they are more willing to take risks and work towards common goals.

Respect: Treat Each Member Well

A team can show respect and treat each other well in a few ways:

• Listen to each other actively
• Acknowledge individual strengths
• Offer support during tough times

This helps create a positive work environment, boosts morale, and improves collaboration. Ways to do this include:

• Avoiding interruptions
• Practicing empathy
• Giving constructive feedback
• Setting clear behavior and communication expectations
• Encouraging open dialogue
• Recognizing and celebrating each member’s contributions
• Organizing team-building activities
• Implementing conflict resolution strategies

Support: Members Backing Each Other Up

Team members can support each other by:

• Actively listening and giving constructive feedback.
• Offering help when needed and celebrating successes.
• Sharing knowledge and skills and volunteering to assist in areas where others need help.
• Creating a culture of mutual support and encouragement.
• Fostering an environment where team members feel valued and supported.

Accountability: Everyone Does Their Part

A team can ensure that everyone is doing their part in terms of accountability by:

• Clearly defining each member’s role
• Setting specific goals and expectations
• Holding regular check-ins to assess progress

By establishing a system of transparent communication, feedback, and recognition, team members can remain focused and motivated to fulfill their responsibilities.

To foster a culture of accountability within a team, strategies such as:

• Defining a shared purpose
• Establishing clear norms and guidelines
• Promoting open dialogue

Encouraging team members to hold themselves and each other accountable, as well as leading by example, can also contribute to a culture of trust and responsibility.

Commitment: Sticking with the Team’s Goals

Commitment to the team’s goals is very important. It directly impacts the overall success of the team. When team members are committed to the common goals, they work well together to achieve them. This results in greater productivity and accomplishments.

Strategies like clear communication, regular check-ins, and acknowledging achievements can help ensure that team members stay committed to the team’s goals. Commitment is important for building a strong and cohesive team because it fosters trust, accountability, and a shared sense of purpose among team members.

When everyone is committed to the team’s goals, it creates a sense of camaraderie and unity. This ultimately leads to a more effective and successful team dynamic.

Why Sharing Values Helps Teams Do Great Work

Shared values bring unity and purpose to team members. These values, like trust, respect, support, accountability, and commitment, help build strong connections and understanding among team members. This leads to effective communication and cohesive work towards success. When teams promote these values, they create a positive and inclusive environment that attracts top talent. Embracing shared values not only helps attract talented individuals but also fosters employee retention.

World-Leading Teams and Their Top Values

Google: Innovation and Openness

Google promotes innovation and openness in its company culture in several ways. This includes open office spaces, employee-driven projects, and a collaborative work environment. This commitment allows employees to explore new ideas and projects independently, fostering a culture of creativity and forward thinking. Google’s dedication to innovation has contributed to its success, enabling the company to evolve, adapt to market demands, and stay ahead.

Emphasizing openness and transparency has also attracted and retained top talent, providing opportunities to work on exciting projects and valuing open communication and feedback. This creates an environment encouraging personal and professional growth, making Google an attractive workplace for tech industry talent.

Apple: Creativity and Quality

Apple’s focus on creativity and quality has been a key factor in its success. By prioritizing these values, Apple has stood out in the market and built a strong brand. This focus has helped Apple create innovative, high-quality products that resonate with consumers, boosting sales and customer loyalty. Apple’s emphasis on creativity and quality is evident in its sleek designs, user-friendly interfaces, and reliable performance in its products and services.

This approach has resulted in a diverse product lineup that meets various consumer needs.

Apple’s commitment to creativity and quality has also driven its innovation and technology development, leading to groundbreaking products and advancements in various industries. This dedication has cemented Apple’s position as a technology leader and continues to shape its path in the market.

Patagonia: Environmentalism and Authenticity

Patagonia is committed to environmentalism and authenticity. This commitment reflects the company’s dedication to preserving the natural world and being transparent and honest. They show environmentalism by using recycled materials and promoting fair labor practices. Their authenticity is seen in engaging with customers and advocating for environmental issues.

These values have helped Patagonia succeed and attract customers who share their commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

How to Use Values to Make Your Team Stronger

Setting the Team’s Values Together

Team members can help identify and set the team’s core values by having open discussions, brainstorming sessions, and team-building activities. This ensures everyone has a say and feels ownership over the chosen values.

It’s essential to regularly check if the chosen values match the team’s goals and mission. This can be done through meetings, performance reviews, and feedback sessions.

They can be included in decision-making processes, recognition systems, and regular training to integrate and promote the team’s values. Leaders should also demonstrate their values through their actions.

Action Time: How to Live Out Your Team’s Values

Teams can define their core values by reflecting on their fundamental beliefs and highest priorities. They can brainstorm what matters to them, then narrow their list to less than five core values to focus on.

Practical actions that teams can take to live out their values in their day-to-day work include creating annual Integrity Reports and using their core values to guide decision-making. These actions make teams think about how they are living out their core values in real life.

A team’s values can be used to attract and retain top talent by shaping the team’s identity and guiding decision-making. This appeals to individuals who share those core values and seek a like-minded organization.

Keep It Real: Teams That Stick to Values Do Better

Teams can identify and define their core values for success. Core values are fundamental beliefs and highest priorities that drive behavior, guiding decisions and actions. Every successful team should prioritize essential values such as integrity, respect, excellence, collaboration, and innovation.

World-leading teams use their core values to achieve greatness and success. They incorporate these values into daily operations, decision-making processes, and interactions with team members and stakeholders. This alignment with core values is an internal compass that guides behavior and shapes the team’s identity, ultimately leading to better performance, cohesion, and overall success.

Using Values to Attract and Keep the Best People

Organizations attract and keep top talent by communicating their core values and embedding them in their company culture and hiring processes. For instance, companies prioritizing innovation and creativity may draw passionate individuals who push boundaries and introduce new ideas. Creating employee opportunities to embody these values also helps attract and retain talent.

They are providing a work environment that fosters open communication and collaboration appeals to those who value teamwork and community. Leaders can reinforce core values by integrating them into performance reviews and recognition programs and selecting team members based on their alignment with those values. This ensures teams are composed of individuals who share and uphold the organization’s core values, creating a purpose-driven work environment.