By Sandra DeStigter, Founder/CEO at HR-Rethought
To some companies, core values are aspirations – goals for who they hope to become one day. For us, core values are the essence of who we already are. We live them daily. We embrace them. We are our core values. Even the order of our values matters. If you don’t align with them, you won’t fit in with us. (Sorry, but not sorry.)
Over the next few months, I want to take the time to introduce you to each of our core values.
Core values… If I’m being honest with myself, I didn’t fully realize how important they are at first. When I started HR-Rethought, it was just me. I knew how I wanted to interact with clients and what I expected of myself, but I didn’t have the words to communicate that clearly. We experimented – first with HRR Standards, then with an HRR Expectations Guide. Both were helpful and still have their place, but they didn’t quite capture the heart of what I was looking for.
What we really needed was something that went beyond policies or expectations. We needed something that spoke to the core of who we are as a team. Something we could look at and say, “This is us!” It took me longer than I’d like to admit—until last year, actually—but we finally defined our core values. And now that we have them, I could not be more proud.
Today, I want to talk about one of those values: Positive Energy.
Positive Energy
Celebrated: Enthusiasm, Optimism, Encouragement, Cheerfulness, Lightheartedness
Not Accepted: Pessimism, Unforgiveness, Loner Mentality, Negative Attitudes, Focusing on Problems
What does Positive Energy look like in action? Let me give you an example.
Our office is on the 5th floor of a building in Corporate Woods. For the past few weeks, the elevators have been out of service. Walking up five flights of stairs is no joke. Maybe you all work out every day, but I don’t—and those stairs have been KILLER. But here’s the thing: nobody on our team has let it get them down. Together, we’ve cursed and laughed at those stairs, but no one has had a bad attitude about it.
The best part? At some point, someone in the building started putting up pictures on each floor as little nuggets of encouragement. They’re hilarious, and honestly, this mystery person is our spirit animal. Every single member of our team brings positive energy – every single day. It’s part of what makes us HR-Rethought.
Defining our core values – and embracing positive energy as our first one – has truly transformed our company. I hope this inspires you to lean into your own core values. Positive energy has the power to reshape your day, strengthen your team, and elevate your relationships. Give it a try! You might be surprised at the difference it makes!