10 inspirational examples of company core values ​​to define your culture (2023)

Let me guess. Your organization plans to create a new set of core values ​​or revise existing ones. But you don't know where to start and are looking for examples of company values.

Don't worry. we got you covered.

You probably already know that defining your company's core values ​​is critical to ensuring your company culture aligns with your mission and vision. From the leadership of hisorganizational decision makingTo attract and retain the right people, your core values ​​can influence every aspect of your business.

So it's important to take inspiration from companies that are ace in the game before you start working on your own company values.

In this blog, we delve into the business values ​​of 10 well-known companies and understand how they have translated their values ​​into reality.

But before that, let's find out what core values ​​stand for.

What are the core values ​​of the company?

company core valuesare clearly defined words or statements that reflect your company's beliefs, philosophy, principles and brand identity. can shape youcorporate cultureand define your character. They are the instructions for action that guide all your activities and internal processes.

In other words, core values ​​aren't ambitious mantras painted on office walls or a marketing ploy to impose a great corporate image. It's not like collecting a bunch of IDs. They are your authentic and thoughtful business assets.

“We believe it is very important to develop core values ​​that you can commit to. And by commitment, we mean you're willing to hire and fire based on those values. You are on your way to building a corporate culture that aligns with the brand you want to build.”
—Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.

10 Examples of Company Core Values ​​to Inspire You

Here are 10 examples of core values ​​from companies that are known for them.a strong corporate culture-

1 tesla

Here is a list of Tesla's business values:

Always do the best you can.
Tesla never settles for less. They strive to use the latest technologies and combine them to the best of their ability to achieve the best results.

No prediction is perfect, but try it anyway.
They continually seek to maintain the reliability and accuracy of their public announcements and predictions (or forecasts) regarding new products and services.

respect and encourage people.
Tesla encourages its employees to treat each other and their customers with respect.

always learn
Tesla believes in adapting to the changing needs and trends of the world and industry. And expect the same from his employees.

Respect the environment.
Tesla emphasizes environmental protection while leading innovation in the energy industry.

These core values ​​are clearly visible in what Tesla does and how it leads the industry. His commitment to sustainability is evident, for example, in his broader innovation strategy.

Its focus is not limited to just developing and selling electric cars. It also includes environmental issues such as sustainable transport, renewable energy storage and climate protection.

"The fundamental value of a company like Tesla is the extent to which it is accelerating the adoption of sustainable energy faster than it otherwise would."
-Elon Musk.

Tesla's corporate values ​​are also evident in its commitment to its public communications. So far they have achievedthey come up with new innovations every timeThey overpromised their customers.

2. Walmart

Suppose you walk into a Walmart store. How would you expect to be treated?

Let me guess. He wants to be respected, valued, and have his needs met. On the right?

Walmart's core values ​​are based on precisely this. They are designed the way you would like to be treated as a customer when you enter your store.

Let's take a look at your company's core values:

customer service
At Walmart, the customer comes first. They encourage their staff to always be willing to listen to customers' needs and to work with a service mindset. They expect employees to be agile, creative, and fast.

respect the individual
They focus on three key aspects of treating each employee and customer with respect as individuals.

Escuchar
Walmart believes in listening to feedback and what the other person has to say. They encourage employees to be visible and available to the customer.

Lead by example
Walmart expects humility from its employees. They expect business leaders to uphold these values ​​with honest and direct feedback.

Recording
Walmart acknowledges and acknowledges individual, cultural, racial, and other differences in people, ideas, and experiences. She is also committed to more opportunities for women.

strive for excellence
Like any other organization, Walmart strives for excellence. They believe in setting and achieving aggressive goals. They expect responsibility and strategic steps from their employees.

This means that employees must be able to anticipate changing conditions, plan for the future, and plan their decisions accordingly. At the same time, they must be able to take responsibility for their actions and the possible consequences.

integrity
Walmart has made honesty, fairness, and fairness (in decision-making processes) its core values. They encourage employees to be honest and transparent and to keep their promises.

Walmart has put its core values ​​into practice through its corporate culture. I want to know how

Walmart is known for recognizing its employees for their contributions. In fact, they refer to their employees as employees to acknowledge their involvement in the company.

Prioritizing customers in organizational processes is an important part of your business.corporate culture. This meticulous approach to bringing the best to customers has improved the company's overall performance and made it one of the largest retailers in the world.

"It's child's play. We want you to stay. But man, if there's a better opportunity and you want to develop and expand your skill set, we say by all means go for it; we've got your back. And by the way, we give you a warm welcome back."
–Lorena Stomsky, Walmart Senior Vice President of Associate Learning and Leadership.

The best part is that Walmart is making a great investment.training and professional growthas well as. This illustrates your core value of striving for excellence. You can see the results in numbers: 75% of all Walmart managers started their careers as hourly workers. One of them is the current CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillon.

However, when it comes to the core value of respecting people, Walmart needs to up the game. You may have already come across news outlets that have frequently criticized Walmart for racial discrimination and for paying its employees low wages.

This lack of attention to employee concerns demonstrates a disconnect between their belief in respect for the individual and their actual treatment of employees.

3. Zappos

In addition to differentiating Zappos from the rest of its competitors, the core values ​​serve as the framework for all its actions. They are a foundation for the development and growth of your culture, brand, and business strategies.

RespectivelyTony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, his philosophy is: “We are willing to make short-term sacrifices (including lost revenue or profit) if we believe the long-term benefits are worth it. Protecting corporate culture and adhering to core values ​​is a long-term benefit.”

Let's look at Zappos' 10 core values.

Deliver WOW through the service:
For Wow, employees are encouraged to exceed expectations. They must be differentiated by a clear X factor.

Accept and drive change:
Zappos fosters a culture of constant change. With this core value, Zappos encourages its employees to plan for change and stay prepared. They encourage employees to experiment with new ideas and drive change with original thinking.

In fact, this ever-evolving nature is their way of staying ahead of the game.

Create fun and a bit of weirdness:
Being crazy doesn't mean being crazy. Rather, it is about being the authentic self. This encourages Zappos employees to be quirky, unconventional, and to think outside the box. They want their people to come out and shine in their true selves.

Be adventurous, creative and open-minded:
Zappos wants its teams and the company as a whole to be bold and daring (but not reckless). They encourage their people to seek adventure and have fun exploring new possibilities. This freedom to be creative allows you to approach situations and challenges with an open mind and be unconventional in your solutions.

Track growth and learning:
Zappos demands an insatiable appetite for improvement from its employees. They summon people who want to challenge themselves and strive to reach their full potential. In other words, they want their employees to enter the growth cycle with continuous learning-unlearning-relearning-growth.

Build open and honest relationships through communication:
A big part of the Zappos culture is building strong, positive relationships based on open and honest communication. Trust in a transparent flow of information.

Build a positive team and family spirit:
This core value emphasizes the importance of meaningful relationships and harmony among teams. They expect their employees to be willing to take the initiative when spotting problems, taking responsibility, and collaborating with other teams when necessary.

Do more with less:
This core value emphasizes the need for operational excellence. Zappos believes that there is always room for improvement in everything they do. It keeps your hunger alive for something bigger.

Be passionate and determined:
Zappos emphasizes passion, determination, perseverance and a sense of urgency to move its people and the company forward. They want their employees to be passionate about supporting and driving the 4Cs of Zappos (apparel, customer service, culture, and community).

be humble:
Zappos wants his team members to be humble about their accomplishments and display "quiet confidence."

These 10 core values ​​are part of the organization's DNA. This is what keeps Zappos alive and well.

The company is taking radical steps to ensure that these values ​​remain the driving force of the company. Containsmake hiring decisionsbased on these core values. In fact, sticking to core values ​​is part of the job expectation.

"Being humble is probably the core value that ultimately influences our hiring decisions the most."
–Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.

Zappos is also known for offering new recruits $2000 so they can quit if they want. This is a measure to assess the cultural fit of your teams. They also have a four-week duty.training programmake sure new employees live these values.

Zappos embraces the idiosyncrasies of each individual with their quirkiness. His core values ​​also encourage individuality.team spirit. Give your employees creative freedom.

They offer their employees a safe space to explore, experiment, and fail. Each employee acts as an entrepreneur, taking calculated risks without fear of failure. All of these factors combined have helped Zappos create a company culture that everyone wants to copy.

4. apple

The company's core values ​​are not motherhood and apple pie. They must be questioned, challenged, and evolved as times change and the business evolves. Apple is a living example of this.

HeApple's original corporate valueswere determined by former CEO Steve Jobs:

• One person, one computer.
• We will, and we will set aggressive targets.
• We are all on an adventure together.
• We build products we believe in.
• We are here to make a positive difference in society and profit.
• They are all important; We all have the opportunity and obligation to make a difference.
• We are all in this together, win or lose.
• We are excited!
• We are creative; we set the pace
• We want everyone to enjoy the adventure we are on together.
• We care what we do.
• We want to create an environment in which Apple's values ​​thrive.

However, as Apple has grown into a larger company, under the leadership of Tim Cook, its core values ​​have changed to reflect this responsibility. Your current core values ​​are-

Great products:
Apple's primary focus is "making great products," products that have the potential to change the world. They strive for innovation and perfection in their products.

Simple, not complex:
Instead of focusing on a variety of product options, they simplify the priority list. They believe in doing their best work by centralizing their focus.

Ecosystem:
They believe in owning and controlling the primary technologies behind each of their products.

excellence:
They only participate in markets where they can make the greatest contribution.

Say no:
They believe that saying no to thousands of projects is crucial so that we can really focus on the things or projects that are most important and meaningful to them.

Cooperation:
Apple believes in collaboration. They focus on cross-fertilization of their teams. They believe in diversity of thought, which allows them to always innovate.

Accept errors:
They believe it's okay to make mistakes while striving for excellence. However, it is crucial to have the honesty to admit when they are wrong and the courage to change and correct their mistakes.

“Companies must have values ​​like people”
–tim cook

Of 8,000 (approx.) employees and$7 billion in salesin 1997 to 154,000 (approximately) employees and $394.33 billion in revenue in 2022, one thing has always stayed the same at Apple. These are their news in hardware, software and services. Which speaks to its core value of innovation and excellence.

The core of Apple's innovation is its organizational structure, which focuses on functional experience and the value of collaboration. Each product is supported by a collaborative discussion between its functional experts, focused on achieving results as a team. To do thiscross-functional collaborationrun smoothly, Apple has minimized the number of people involved by limiting the number of senior leadership positions.

Apple's corporate culture is also characterized by sky-blue thinking and innovation. They only hire the best candidates on the market. This allows them to nurture and strengthen a corporate culture that encourages, values, and expects excellence from its employees. they tooThey have reward programsto recognize and reward excellent performance.

5. Airbnb

“We have the power to build culture by living the values. We also have the power to ruin culture by breaking values.”
–Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb.

Airbnb's missionis “to create a world where everyone belongs everywhere”. Let's look at what your core values ​​are and how they align with your mission.

Commit to the mission
They want their employees to feel driven by this mission, so much so that it feels like it's their life's work.

be a host
This core value is more related to the hospitality and Airbnb experience users receive. Employees are expected to behave in a thoughtful, open, and encouraging manner toward those with whom they work. You have to be excited about the community.

Embark on the adventure
Just like young children, they are always ready to try new ideas, hit a snag, and try again. Airbnb wants its employees to move forward with a similar approach. They believe in always being curious and optimistic, and they want their employees to learn from their mistakes, ask for help when needed, and demonstrate the ability to grow.

be a grain businessman
They want their teams to reinvent travel and turn their bold ambitions into reality with their determination and creativity. They want their employees to have an entrepreneurial drive, who knows how they can bring their great ideas to life.

These four core values ​​are woven into Airbnb's culture, starting with the hiring process. When recruiting, they place great emphasis on selecting candidates who already live Airbnb's core values ​​in their daily lives.

As a former Airbnb employeeAnders BoelskiftAirbnb has said that Airbnb is at the center of these core values ​​and seeks to create and maintain a perfect balance between its three key stakeholders. These are Airbnb, the organization (including its employees and shareholders), Airbnb, the community (guests and hosts), and the world outside of Airbnb.

Airbnb has taken a somewhat unusual approach to building core values ​​in the workplace among its employees, with a “employee experience' Department.

“You don't see the mission and values ​​on the wall. Instead, you feel it when you walk through the door and see it in the way people treat each other and everyone we come in contact with. Hosting is one of our most important values ​​and how we treat each other and everyone else.”
–Mark Levy, ex CHRO, Airbnb.

6. Amazonas

Amazon has listed 14 leadership principles that explain what they expect from their employees. These principles serve as your core business values ​​and affect all aspects of the business.

The values ​​that define Amazon are-

customer obsession
The first leadership principle emphasizes "start with the customer, then work backward." Amazon wants its employees to know what customers need and do whatever it takes to meet their needs.

Property
This Amazon organizational value emphasizes employee responsibility. Employees must be willing to think outside the box and act beyond the scope of their job profile.

invent and simplify
This core value emphasizes the innovation and inventiveness of the team. Employees are expected to strive to find ways to simplify these newly discovered ideas and processes.

be right, a lot
Amazon emphasizes the value of judgment and expects its employees to be intuitive and make decisions based on multiple perspectives.

learn and be curious
Amazon expects its employees to be lifelong learners, linking their knowledge to their current experiences and the issues they face.

Hire and develop the best
Amazon recognizes outstanding workers within the organization. This excellence can only be maintained if they focus on hiring only the best. They also promote the development and mentoring of existing employees.

Insist on the highest standards
Amazon wants its employees to have relentlessly high standards. To provide the highest quality services, products and processes, perfection must be your benchmark.

Think big
Amazon encourages its employees to set bigger goals and strive for nothing less than greatness. They want their employees to think differently and push their limits to maintain their excellence.

propensity to act
Amazon estimates calculated risks. You want your employees to avoid analytical paralysis. Instead, they must act quickly and speed up business matters.

saving
They want their people to be resourceful and frugal. Employees need to do it more efficiently with fewer resources or budgets spent. However, this does not mean cost savings at the expense of quality.

gain confidence
Amazon emphasizes trust as the foundation of any relationship within the company (whether with customers or among its employees). You want employees to be honest, responsible, open to criticism and feedback, and willing to offer constructive criticism.

dive deep
Instead of focusing on the big picture, Amazon employees are expected to see the small details. You need to audit frequently and dig deep to find the real picture when there are deviations.

have backbone; disagree and compromise
Disagreements are allowed and encouraged on Amazon as long as they are supported by logical explanations. Employees are encouraged to express their opinions in a respectful manner.

deliver results
Amazon wants all employees to deliver quality results on the spot. They don't believe in settling for less for potential setbacks.

Strive to be the best place to work in the world.
Amazon wants its employees to think like leaders and create a safer, more productive, diverse, and high-performing work environment. They want their employees to show empathy and make work fun for themselves and those around them.

As you can see from your core value, customers are at the center of every process and every core value is directly or indirectly dependent on it.to offer its customers the best. From running usability tests across all of your categories to every other level of your daily decision-making, it's influenced by your customer focus.

These core values ​​encourage employees to think outside the box. It pushes them to deal with problems as they arise, rather than letting them sit idly by.

in a survey, employees agreed that the most discussed core value at Amazon is execution and the most positively discussed value is innovation.

These core values ​​aren't just some awesome-sounding taglines to put on your Amazon company profile. They really apply these values ​​in their day-to-day decision-making processes. Especially when it comes to agility, customer focus, implementation, and innovation, Amazon is totally "the conversation goes.“

7.Netflix

Let's dive into the details of Netflix's corporate values:

judgment
This includes smart decisions, data-driven decisions, and smart use of resources. Instead of focusing on short-term impacts, Netflix encourages its employees to make decisions with the big picture in mind.

disinterest
Netflix encourages employees to focus on the best interests of the company, not personal or team gain. They want their employees to be humble and open to great ideas.

Mut
They want their employees to be bold enough to take calculated risks, open to making mistakes, and willing to accept or give constructive feedback.

Communication
Netflix recognizes the importance of communication (both verbal and non-verbal) within the organization. Encourages employees to listen actively and be willing to adapt effectively to different communication styles.

Recording
Netflix emphasizes building and maintaining diverse teams with people from different backgrounds, identities, values, and cultures. He encourages his employees to overcome personal biases and to respect each individual, regardless of their background or position.

integrity
Netflix wants its employees to demonstrate integrity, openness, and transparency.
Dedication. They want their employees to be passionate about their mission, that is. h to entertain the world.

innovation
Netflix wants its employees to think outside the box to thrive in an ever-evolving organization. It encourages employees to see things in a different light and find solutions that are simple but effective.

curiosity
It emphasizes rapid learning and the eagerness to understand the changing tastes and desires of consumers.

These nine core company values ​​affect how Netflix hires, rewards, and promotes its employees. They also stand out as an important aspect of their culture.

As Netflix says, "values ​​are what we value."

These values ​​reflect its culture of freedom and responsibility, independent decision-making,transparent exchange of information, honest communication and high performance.

Let's start with the value of courage. Netflix leaders are expected to lead by example and show the courage they want their employees to have. This also includes the courage to admit your mistakes.

This value is best illustrated in the story referenced by Patty McCord in her book,Powerful.” In the story, she recalls how CEO Reed Hastings once got into a heated debate with another executive, Tom. So they ran an A/B test, and the results favored Tom. Reed later publicly accepted that he was wrong.

"When the data showed that Tom was right, Reed candidly proclaimed to the same group: 'Listen, I fought a lot against that, but Tom was right. Good job.'

With that said, Netflix encourages its employees to question any actions that are inconsistent with these values. This illustrates your courage value.

If you think that's great, wait until you see their Entertainment, Gifts, Travel and Expense guidelines, which are only five words long. He says: "It acts in the best interest of Netflix."

What could be a better example of the value of selflessness?

8. American Express

American Express, a leading multinational financial services company, is founded on the following core company values:

customer focused
You understand the importance of relationships to a successful business. Therefore, they strive to always support their customers with their exceptional products, services and experiences.

make it great
They value continuing to be meaningful to their clients by providing unparalleled standards of excellence in everything we do.

do what is right
To maintain the trust of clients, they act in a reliable, consistent manner and with the highest degree of integrity.

respect people
This value emphasizes the importance of respecting the different opinions of others.

accept diversity
They encourage the diversity of people and experiences in the organization as a means of fostering creativity and innovation.

Booth for inclusion
They want to maintain an inclusive culture that includes everyone. They want a culture where every voice counts and where people of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, religions, disabilities, and beliefs can thrive.

win as a team
They emphasize the importance of team performance over individual excellence. All employees are expected to work as a team and do their best to deliver what the team promises.

supportive communities
They respect and support their communities to prosper and have a meaningful impact in the world.

As you can see, American Express employees and leaders are prepared to live their core business values, known as the "blue box values."

Let's see what employees are saying about these values ​​and how they are embedded in the Amex culture.

• "Beyond their individual intelligence, the common thread that unites these American Express leaders is that they individually represent the company's shared cultural norms and principles, as defined in the American Express Blue Box Values, Sharing and embody".Wempy Dyocta Koto.

• "People at American Express respect everyone" -Dhaval Shah.

• in a survey97% of employees said they felt welcome when they joined American Express.

Additionally, its recent awards (such as Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index 2020, 2019 Working Mother 100 Best Companies, 2019 Best Workplaces for Diversity) reflect its culture of inclusion and diversity.

Amex is also known for its excellent customer service, backed by its core value of customer centricity.Based on a survey(with more than 28,000 credit card customers), American Express ranks first among major credit card issuers with 838 points.

9. Spotify

Let's take a look at some of the values ​​that have helped Spotify shape its corporate culture.

Innovative
They want their employees to have an innovative mindset, capable of original and creative thinking. They want their people to be the pioneers.

collaborative
You believe in cross-functional collaboration for stronger teams and better performance.

carefully
She embodies transparency, fairness, and openness among employees. She discourages executives from micromanaging and promotes mutual trust and respect.

Passionate
Each team member is expected to be motivated by a passion for learning and growth. You must be brave enough to accept big bets.

Playful
Spotify wants work (and the workplace) to be fun.

Want to know how Spotify manages to put these core values ​​into practice? Let's find out

Spotify's organizational structure (which is divided into Squads, Tribes, Chapters, and Guilds) is encouragingautonomy and collaborationsimultaneously. You can think of it as a band where different instruments (or equipment) work in sync to create the perfect melody (ie the end result).

"Spotifiers connect with colleagues across the organization and engage others in their work, creating opportunities for cross-functional collaboration and more creative problem solving."
–Sally Whatley.

Spotify fosters a high-trust culture that breathescommunication and transparency. They were able to do this through open feedback during 1-on-1 meetings, dev chats, and public meetings.

Plus, its fun work environment allows employees to sit back, relax, and work together. From Friday beers to social events, create opportunities for employees to connect and collaborate, leading to creativity.ideas and innovations.

10.Microsoft

These are Microsoft's core values:

Responsibility
They believe in taking full responsibility for their decisions, actions, and results. Employees must understand that each of their actions has consequences in the context of the company.

Corporate Social Responsibility
Its goal is to create a sustainable future by using technology to minimize the negative impact of its operations and products on the environment.

Diversity and inclusion
They thrive on diverse voices, drawn from the experiences, strengths, and diverse viewpoints of their employees and customers, to inform, challenge, and expand our thinking.

trusted computers
They are actively working to build their trusted cloud around four core principles: security, privacy, compliance, and transparency.

innovation
By harnessing the power of computing combined with AI, their goal is to continue to deliver innovations that inspire people of all ages and abilities, break down barriers, improve lives, and empower communities.

Microsoft employees live these core values. Take for examplethe value of responsibilityIt is used in all forms of employee surveys, as well as bonus and recognition programs. Each employee is assessed for her responsibility to ensure compliance within company operations.

Microsoft is also known for keeping people and planet in mind in everything it does. Guided by their civic mission, they make great effortsbecome carbon negativeuntil 2030.

"Wherever we operate, we are focused on making a positive contribution to local communities, helping to drive growth, competitiveness and economic opportunity for all."
–Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft.

In all aspects of its business—from employees donating $158 million to nonprofit organizations to designing green data centers—corporate social responsibility is evident.

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Now that you know how leading companies are doing it, use this list of sample business values ​​for inspiration. Use it to define or redefine your own company's core values ​​that express who you are, and put them into action.

Here are some things to consider before you begin to forge your own company values:

• start to understandyour organizational goalsand purpose. This serves as the foundation for creating core values ​​that align with and support them.
• Engage your employees and gather their input to ensure that the core values ​​reflect their perspectives and experiences.
• Brainstorm a list of key characteristics that define the culture and operation of your company, such as: B. cooperation, honesty,innovation and teamwork.
• Use simple, understandable language to keep your core values ​​concise and easy to remember.
• Identify the expected behaviors for each core value to ensure they are actively lived and encouraged within the organization.
• Integrate the values ​​incorporate cultureand reinforce them with recognition and rewards.