First, successful people became successful by having core values. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s time to listen.

What are they?

Core values ​​are values ​​that should govern the way we operate and the standards we achieve on a daily basis. When someone walks into your workplace, how you deal with that person and the importance you place on the results of that meeting are your standards. How you treat that customer and how well you meet your own standards is the essence of core values.

When things don’t go your way, when you’re in a rush, late, in a hurry, having a bad day, it’s in these circumstances that your standards and the way you execute them make the difference between success and failure. In our best days, most of us are capable of exerting effort that will result in favorable results for us. When things are going well, under optimal conditions, we can usually manage to get reasonable results. That’s not to say that reasonable results are something to aim for, it just establishes a baseline for us.

The question is, how often do we get the optimal results, the ideal condition? 10%, maybe 20% of the time, tops. What do we do for the rest of the 80% plus time? Core values ​​help us become better people. Having and adhering to these values ​​gives us a wall against which to put our backs and then look out at the world. They give us the opportunity to define who and what we are. We have the opportunity to define who we are and how people can expect to be treated when they come into contact with us.

Joe runs a small plumbing business and serves a city in which he has lived his entire life. When people call Joe, they know 3 things; you will always be there for them, do a good job, and charge a fair price. Simple and straightforward core values. It’s the only way someone in a small town can run a business and stay in business. Core values ​​dictate how it will operate. Sometimes you set the values; sometimes the values ​​are set for you.

How important are they?

You are in the middle of the forest, it is getting dark; you need to find your way back to the road where your car is. If you don’t come out at nightfall, chances are you will freeze to death overnight, alone in the woods, with no equipment and no way to start a fire. Luckily for you, you have a compass. Your core values ​​are your compass to guide you throughout life, both personally and professionally. It’s pretty easy to spot a company that doesn’t have its core values ​​in place. Companies that don’t have them instead have what I call the “any junk will do” mentality.

The easiest way to spot these rudderless businesses is to examine the results they produce. A successful business that has a set of core values ​​will produce the same results every time. A business without them will be all over the map. Remember, “any junk will do” for these businesses. When I mention my theory of any garbage in seminars, this comment really irritates people. They take it as a personal affront; they take it as an attack on them personally. The reality is that they should.

Core values ​​help us set a standard, the minimum we will accept in terms of results. The minimum we will accept is simply to establish a starting point; a point on which we will build and grow.

It’s not what, it’s how

Core values ​​are not about “what” you want to do, but about “how.” “I want to earn a certain amount of money, how am I going to do that?” It’s where your core values ​​come in. “How will I treat the people I come in contact with, what quality will I want in the service or product I produce, what can my employees expect from me, how will I deal with suppliers.” etc.

Good results don’t just happen. Successful people, people who are happy with their results, didn’t get to where they were by leaving things to chance. They have a plan and they execute their plan. Part of that plan is to ensure a consistent high level of operations.

One of the best explanations of what it really means to have and use core values ​​is that “core values ​​dictate how you act when no one is looking and you still do it the right way.”