The best sort of project values are aspirational. These values tell your team what is essential for success even if some of these things are lacking at the start of the work. Too often projects adopt bland ideals that fail to spell out the critical requirements for success.
Consider the motherhood-and-apple-pie statements —integrity, teamwork, ethics, quality, customer satisfaction, and innovation. In fact, 55% of all US Fortune 100 companies claim integrity is a core value, 49% espouse customer satisfaction, and 40% tout team-work. These may be good things but are they the critical elements for success? Cookie-cutter values that don’t set your project apart from the competition will soon fade into nothing.
Here are a few aspirational values to think about:
Tenacious: We don’t stop pushing. No project worth doing is easy!
Learning: There is no end to what we can learn. We want more, and we chase it.
Together: We are one team and we all play on the same side.
Crystal clear: We are open and share our information, experiences, successes, failures. It makes us better!
Are your project values dead boring or vibrant and alive?