You walk into almost any organization, and what do you almost certainly see shortly after arrival? A plaque, or a rotating slide show of the company’s mission, vision, values. You lean in closer to read them while you wait for the person you’re interviewing with to pick you up from the lobby.
Reflection: Upon reading the espoused mission, vision, values, would you know that they belong to the company whose lobby in which you’re standing versus any other organization? What do the words you read reflect back to you? What would you expect to see “in action” to bring those words to life?
You meet with several people from multiple departments over the next few weeks as you go through the interview process. Each time, you hear stories & background about the people with whom you’re meeting, the company and the role as they see it. You may get a glimpse into the types of projects you’ll be working on, and opportunities and challenges of working on this team, department, organization.
Reflection: You’ve gotten a high level glimpse into the mirror; people you meet are sharing “how things work/get done” as they see them. Do these perspectives align with the words on the wall of the lobby? Have the people you’ve met “lived” the mission, vision, values with the words or actions they’ve displayed with you?
After you’ve been working at your company for several months, you’re asked to give feedback on your experience thus far, along with other employees who’ve been there less than a year. The facilitator asks you, “if you had to describe how you demonstrate our company value around ___ (pick your topic), what activities would you say are examples of this value? Are there any examples you’ve experienced where this value is not demonstrated?”
Reflection: Can you articulate what your company’s values look like, in action, before you joined or since you’ve joined? To what degree are the words on the wall aligned with the reality of your experience? How would you feel about sharing your experiences with leadership in your organization? Hold up the mirror: how do your own behaviors align to the “words on the wall?”
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, show me your Mission, Vision, and Values. Are these merely words, or reflected in the behaviors of us all?
Yellow Giraffe Talent Solutions 