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Generic company mission statements like, "Our goal is to continually innovate," or "We are working to achieve a best-in-class reputation," aren't bad goals. However, they could be applied to almost any business in the world. And if you want your employees to feel inspired about your company, a bland manifesto won't do it.
Good news: To get a meaningful set of values and engage your employees, use one of these three techniques to involve them in the mission creation process.
1. Do a Poll
This approach will work whether you're an early-stage company and you're picking your defining principles, or you're fairly established and you're seeking to refine them.
First, decide on four or five options for your values. Then set up an online poll and send it to your entire team. After a pre-determined voting period, you can reveal which values won.
2. Have a Brainstorming Session
If your staff is fairly small, holding a brainstorming meeting where employees can decide as a group on your company's values is really effective. Not only will you get a range of ideas, but everyone will feel involved in the process—and will thus be more committed to actually upholding the mission you decide on!
3. Collect Suggestions
Maybe you'd love to try the brainstorming idea, but your company is way too big to fit into one room. As an alternative, make a "suggestions box" (either physical or virtual) to which team members can submit their proposals. Then your management can pick the best ideas. Or you could adapt the first option by picking your five favorite suggestions, then doing a poll.
With online platforms such as RubiBoard, you can quickly collect suggestions from your team on the comments board and create a custom poll to see which options are most popular.
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This article was originally published in RubiBoard's blog.
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About The Author
Aja Frost is a freelance writer who covers career, lifestyle, current events, and social justice. Say hi to her on Twitter.
