It’s not uncommon to hear businesses boast about how their people are their greatest assets. While this is certainly a wholesome sentiment, it can also come across like lip service, particularly when the corporate culture does not cause people to feel valued.

The good news is that some cultures really do show that people are valued. And while there is no blueprint or roadmap to achieve such a culture, there are some basic guidelines that any business can follow.

How to Build a Culture Where People are Valued

A few suggestions for creating a culture in which people feel valued:

Take stock of your mission and values. Hopefully, your company already has a mission statement in place. But simply having codified values is not enough. You also need to make sure that your leadership makes decisions that are consistent with those values. Take some time to reflect on your mission, and really be honest about any gaps you see between intention and execution.

Share your contingency plan. Businesses should also have plans in place for unexpected disruptions, including the sudden loss of key leaders. Develop contingency plans and then communicate those details to your team members, helping them to see that you’re making every effort to promote the company’s wellbeing, no matter what happens.

Emphasize transparent communication. Simply put, people like to feel like they’re in the loop. So, to help your employees feel valued, be intentional about sharing news and plans with them often. Be totally transparent in communicating the good and the bad alike. Show them that you want them to be informed, and that you entrust them to handle even tough news in a professional way.

Hold management accountable. Your employees won’t feel like you value them if you hold them to a strict standard, but don’t apply the same standard to leaders and executives. Make sure that, when leaders mess up, they own up to it, apologize, and endure appropriate consequences. Show your employees that everyone is playing by the same set of rules.

Make tough decisions. Imagine this scenario: You’re presented with a major account or an exciting new project but taking it on would require you to seriously burn out your staff. Would you have the courage to turn down the project in order to promote employee wellbeing? Such decisions come along pretty often, and when leaders are willing to make hard choices on behalf of their employees, that helps the entire team feel valued.

Empower your people. Make it clear to employees that you want them to raise the bar, and to do the highest quality of work at all times. But at the same time, make sure you’re actually equipping them for success, providing the tools, resources, and support structures required for your employees to do their jobs well.

These are just a few ways in which you can work toward a culture in which everyone on the team feels like they have real value. We’d love to talk with you further about developing people-first culture, where your employees truly are your greatest assets. Contact WhiteWater Consulting whenever you’re ready to chat.

Additionally, we are excited to announce that in the month of May our new book Unprecedented: Building a Multi-Generational Business on Trust, Respect, and the Valuing of People will be available. We would invite you to visit chuckcooper.info to join our journey and take the People Strategy assessment.

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