Far too often, businesses put “mission” and “core values” on their website merely as filler or as a marketing tactic to draw customers in.

Core values that are developed through honesty, hard work and dedication – and carried out in the right way – can propel you and your business to success. You’ll gain an edge in your industry, leading through purposeful action and embodiment.

But, before you reach that stage, you must first define and document your own core values. To help you in this endeavor, we recently came up with our core values at SBS Accounting & Advisors. Here is a little more about those, as well as other important information surrounding core values.

What are Core Values? Why are They Important?

Core values are about who you are and what you stand for. They are not your goals or aspirations; instead, they are the distinguishing characteristics and qualities of you and your team.

They represent team culture and behavior, and even shape the decisions and strategies you make as a company. They also serve to hold you accountable for your actions, as well as dictate how you are going to lead your team and its business into a place of success and growth.

You can develop core values two ways. First, you can come up with your own core values, and expect your team to embody and implement them, or second, work with your team to come up with core values that you can all live by together.

At our firm, I chose the latter. Over our 13-year journey, I’ve come to realize that I’m only as strong as my team, and it’s a must to all carry out the same message, and level of passion and service, if we are ever going to meet customer’s expectations and succeed.

So, what did this mean for us? It meant dedicating our time – meeting four or five times for 30-45 minutes each time – to decide on the core values as a team. We are proud of these values because we believe they dictate who we are and what we represent and stand for. 

SBS Core Values

Here are our core values at SBS Accounting & Advisors:

  • Primary purpose. We endeavor to glorify God in all that we do, with the conviction that one day we will stand before Him and give an account.
  • Love for others. We treat our neighbor with love and respect by showing genuine concern through word and deed.
  • Quality. We strive to do everything with excellence and attention to detail, in order that we might provide the best service possible to our clients.
  • Integrity. We foster and maintain a reputation of trust by being honest and transparent in all that we say and do, including adherence to the laws of the land and generally accepted accounting principles.
  • Efficiency. We operate in a streamlined and organized fashion by implementing and utilizing cutting-edge systems and technology, resulting in savings of time and energy for our clients and company.
  • Workplace culture. We provide a superior work environment for our employees that encourages personal development and promotes work/life harmony.
  • Client satisfaction. We provide an excellent client experience by putting our clients first, delivering on our commitments, and rendering services that free and empower our clients to grow their organizations.

Ready to Decide on Your Core Values, or Have any Questions? We’re Here to Help!

As you can see, we feel core values are extremely important to any business, but only if done the right way. For instance, if you’re using them just to attract customers, they’re not just disingenuous, but also a hazard to success. In other words, it may bring in a customer, but once they see there’s little meaning behind the words, that customer is unlikely to do business with you in the future. Beyond that, it can tarnish your reputation.

The main thing is that if core values don’t become something that guides you as a company, they’re meaningless. You must live by these core values, consistently practice and preach them, and celebrate when your team exemplifies them. Your team must know how important they are to you if you’re going to expect them to value and carry them out themselves.

So, if you’re ready to define your business’ core values, or simply have any questions, reach out to us today. You’ll be on your way to big things in the future!