A Company's Foundation
A company’s foundation documents—often referred to as Vision, Mission, and Culture Tenets—are usually framed and displayed in office spaces, and snippets might even appear on branded merchandise. Visibility is great, but the true impact of Company values is felt when they are embedded in the lived employee experience. When this happens, core values shape how teams seize opportunities, address challenges, and resolve conflicts.
First, Unique Purposes
While definitions may vary across organizations, I think of each document’s purpose as follows:
Culture Tenets establish the principles that guide how team members interact with one another and external stakeholders.
Vision is the aspirational picture of the world once your work is complete.
Mission outlines how your company will achieve its Vision through practical action.
Seek Ways to Embed Values
To truly embed values into the company culture, start by discussing them during the interview process. Engaging prospective employees in conversations about how the role they are applying for contributes to, or even drives, the company’s Mission can foster early engagement, instilling a greater sense of ownership over their contributions from the outset.
Incorporating foundational documents into decision-making processes, especially at the committee level, is also key. When evaluating decisions with consideration given to Company values, a committee may confirm alignment or uncover potential cultural challenges that need to be addressed. In some cases, a misalignment may be revealed and turn out to be a deal-breaker.
When an employee is recognized for exemplary behavior that reflects the company's Culture Tenets, this not only rewards the individual but also serves as a learning opportunity for the whole team. It also reinforces the idea that shaping the company culture is a shared responsibility—not just something for the CEO or HR to handle.
Developing Foundation Documents
When creating or refining foundation documents, it is helpful to consider the following:
What is your company’s strategy, summarized in an elevator pitch?
What are the baseline cultural expectations for your team?
What aspirational goals do you have for the company culture?
What difficult situations might employees face during their tenure?
Foundation documents grounded in thoughtful answers to these questions can serve as a guiding framework for team members, setting expectations and reminding everyone of the company’s broader goals as it moves toward realizing its Vision.
By rooting foundation documents in real conversations and experiences, they become more than just words on a wall—they actively shape how employees live out the company’s culture every day.