Values
Values are what a company stands for—the beliefs that drive its organizational behaviour and the characteristics it wants customers, partners and others to associate with it. They complement the business goals of the company. In effect, they let everyone know how the company’s goals are to be achieved, not as a set of procedures, but rather as a set of behavioural guidelines.
The values originate with the company’s owners and leaders and consist of doing the right things in the right way.
Companies’ values can vary widely depending on the industry and the customers they serve, but often relate to ideas of quality, reliability, honesty, innovation and service.
Values are usually defined on their own and accompany the vision and mission statements.
More about values
As an example, these are BDC’s values:
Ethics
We build solid relationships based on mutual trust. Our actions are guided by integrity and respect for our clients, suppliers, partners and each other.
Client connection
We share our clients’ passion. We care about their success and support them every step of the way. Our relationships are based on entrepreneurial thinking.
Team spirit
We are enriched by our diversity. We share our wide-ranging expertise to help our clients and the organization grow. We respect each other’s differences and work together to succeed.
Accountability
We honour our commitment to help grow the Canadian economy. We take responsibility for our actions in all our dealings both inside and outside BDC.
Work/life balance
We recognize that we all face unique challenges in fulfilling the responsibilities of our personal and professional lives. We value a work environment that enables us to achieve a healthy balance.