Beyond values

It’s table stakes for every company or brand to have a values section on their website. The intentions are good — communicate the beliefs that influence the decisions, behaviors and culture. Where this falls short is in how the values are practiced across an organization, which is far more likely when values are broad, generic and not directly linked to actions everyone at the organization can and should take. I’ve written brand values numerous times as an employee, operator and founder. I’m not immune from making some of these mistakes.

Because a commitment to working with Purpose is continuously trying to do better, I took a pause to reflect instead of just throwing together a list of values for this community. Rather than building fast and potentially breaking something sacred — how this community treats one another — from the jump, I proposed architecting our values as a set of practices.

The hope is to present something that we can more easily and clearly uphold and embody in our actions. Instead of listing virtues disconnected from specific behaviors, these practices are participatory in nature. They are essential in co-creation, and in renewing how approach business and impact. We offer these practices to guide our collaboration, conversation, and interactions across our community of Purpose:

Empathy

• Empathy is at the core of every great company, great product, and great relationship. We practice empathy through actively listening, being curious not judgmental, and refraining from giving unsolicited advice.

Creativity

• Everyone is capable of being creative, and big challenges require creative thinking. We practice this through the power of play to as a means to explore, innovate, and connect.

Intention

• Too many startups have moved fast and broken things.Inclusion, respect, and trust are created and upheld by intention. We practice this across our interactions, communications, and decisions.

Connection

• Making the impact we envision in the world takes collective effort, resources, and perspectives. We are collaborators, not competitors.

Integrity

• How we behave in public and behind the scenes directly affects the impact we are able to make. We practice this through honesty, trust, and accountability.

These practices aren’t meant to be all-inclusive. Instead, we hope that they inspire you to reflect and come up with some of your own — and we’re listening! Add your suggestions in the comments, so we can learn from each other as we each renew our approach to building businesses for Purpose.