Core Values – How to Define them and How we Built Ours

A clear vision of purpose can bring great clarity and confidence to a business. When the path has been clearly forged and the yellow brick road paved, all actions and reactions can be predicted with confidence and accepted with higher grace.

If you’re looking to establish values and are unsure where to begin, we’ve noted some key steps that were taken throughout Miracon’s own discovery journey to reveal the ethos of our company, and the pillars on which we function.

 

Why are Core Values Important?

A business with established values acts much like a lighthouse does to ships at sea when it comes to their employees, clients and potential customers. Like the beacon in a lighthouse, values provide luminosity on the company’s ‘why’, and serve as a navigational tool to many if not all aspects of its livelihood.

How to Establish Core Values

Establishing your brand culture and creating a strong brand presence begins with open discussion and brainstorming. Try tackling these six steps in order to open up the discovery process.

1. Write down your individual values.
2. As a business, define what sets you apart from your competition.
3. Consider your past experiences.
4. Re-group with your team, assess and categorize values.
5. Identify your companies theme, what do you want potential customers to know about the culture of the company.
6. Finalize and choose your top core values.

1. Individual Values

Begin from an individual standpoint. Identify the key traits that convey your company’s culture.

Which values resonate with you as an employee? Which values do you think the business should stand for? Note some keywords and develop them into action sentences on how you will fulfill those words throughout your daily, weekly, monthly and annual operations.

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
– Gandhi

2. What Sets You Apart from the Competition

Define your secret sauce – what makes your company unique? List your team’s skills and strengths with experiences on how they’ve been able to utilize them in the workplace.

• What attributes have helped your team overcome hindrances in the past?
• What high level of service or performance exceeded expectations repeatedly and provided the ‘Wow’ factor?
• Which features or processes allowed you to reach the highest performance levels?

3. Consider Past Experiences

Reflection is key when it comes to honing in on your ‘why’. It can also be a real eye-opener as you look back at what has worked and, more importantly, what has not.

It can be easy to associate oversights, negative customer experiences and/or reviews with the word failure, but if you can learn from your mistakes and move forward, you might be able to do even better. Yes, mistakes can instill a sheepish demeanor, but they can also help the business gain clarity on what the true meaning of success may be.

Remember you are in this business to make a difference, and setting yourself apart requires you to determine whether or not you are succeeding and, better yet, how you may be able to improve.

4. Assign Values Into Groups

Once you’ve collected a list of traits and action phrases, it’s time to assign each value into related categories. Maybe the item represents a challenge, a financial goal, encouragement in the workplace, or is more industry performance-related.

Once the team has assigned their collective thoughts into groups, you can focus on the core values that define and guide your culture.

5. Define the Company Culture

Without values, our reactions can be spontaneous and emotionally guided. Reacting to events that happen without consideration of what is important to the business can serve as a great detriment when it comes to transparency and consistency.

Defining your culture as a group is crucial since it is based on the shared values, reactions, attitudes and practices of the individuals who keep your organization afloat. Building alignment between your values and encouraging a team culture based on these is optimal.

Without values, a company culture will inevitably develop on its own, and it is beneficial for shareholders to guide this culture based on a desired reputation, or the qualities clients and employees think of when they think of your business. What those posters on the wall actually mean to everyone in the company is imperative.

6. Finalize Top Core Values

Establishing core values takes time and careful thought. “Clarity and confidence comes from taking a step back to work through the deeper purpose of why you do what you do.” says Leisa Johnson, Owner & Brand Creator at Lovely Studio & Company.

Once you’ve gathered and characterized your items, seek out the ones that emotionally resonate with you. The core values selected should already accurately describe your culture, with the employees already manifesting these traits.

Once the team has established a set of core values, the last and most important step is to share them. Announce the core values companywide, and share any supplemental branding materials related to the campaign. Wear your core values with pride, this is your culture and what makes your company one of a kind beyond the services or products you offer. It’s why people will want to join your team, invest in your product and support your mission.

Our Fingerprint

“Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave them all over everything you do.” – Elvis Presley.

Transparency is key now more than ever, especially when it comes to putting your trust in a business for a major financial investment. A company without a distinct set of values could have a disorganized structure or management. This often filters into work ethic and could result in challenges such as high turnover due to employee dissatisfaction, miscommunication with clients and broken promises.

At Miracon, our culture embodies a shared attitude and values that have created a sense of unspoken trust, a family-like atmosphere and an unparalleled standard for excellence.

Our Senior leaders use values as the framework for guiding and reviewing the business, and hold financial, divisional and employee performance against these. For our employees, our values instill a greater sense of pride in the company, and serve as reminders of what we should strive to embody every day.

Similar to a home’s infrastructure and systems, our four core values at Miracon work in unison to keep things consistent, comfortable and safe.

1. We Pursue Excellence

The craftsmanship of a home lies in the hands of a skilled labourer and the teams they work with. Together each trade sets a foundation for the other to shine. The unanimity between them must be upheld in order for the home to perform at its most optimal level.

Miracon believes that excellence is an attitude, an action, and a standard that we intentionally pursue and implement throughout the design and construction process as well as the entire homeowner experience.

We believe that delivering excellence begins with recruiting team members who demonstrate pride of ownership and share our core values.

2. We Create a Memorable Experience

The framework of a home acts like a skeleton supporting various features. Once the blueprints have been approved and the framing begins, everything visually begins coming to life.

Eventually, the framing is covered with drywall, paint and other decorative features but it is always there holding everything together. It must be dependable, strong and able to withstand the winds.

Creating a memorable experience is our difference. Purchasing a home is one of the largest investments in a person’s lifetime. We intentionally implement creative design solutions and provide a comprehensive customer service experience to ensure that a purchase of this importance is always a positive and memorable experience for all homeowners.

3. We Encourage Spirited Teamwork

 

Mechanical systems throughout a home work to provide a healthy and comfortable environment for your family and guests. Your home operates because of these systems, and although each is individually complex, it is the muscle that serves the function of your home.

The Miracon culture is driven by our team members, including our trades, vendors and consultants. Individually we hold ourselves accountable for high quality results, and collectively we encourage and leverage the diverse strengths of our team to meet our common goals of integrity, respect and excellence.

4. We Build a Sustainable Legacy

The foundation of a home bares its load, and acts as an anchor to the structure by distributing weight and supporting the build. A strong foundation will carry the structure through the long-term and reliably rest its roots for many years to come.

We are driven to build and sustain a legacy that is positioned for the long-term. Founded on the principles of creating exceptional quality homes and memorable experiences, Miracon is committed to sustaining this legacy, so homeowners feel proud to live in the communities we build.

 

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Core values are the beliefs that shape a company’s culture, enlighten its vision and serve as a beacon that guides its decision-making. Establishing core values can help attract customers who share these similar beliefs, while also fulfilling their expectations for the long-term. Capturing your culture through lived values will bring admiration both inside and outside the company doors.

Our hard work resulted in Miracon Development Inc. being recognized as a top builder with the highest customer rating scores in Canada, being awarded the 17th Annual Avid Diamond Award and 7th Annual Service Award along with the 2021 Georgie Award for Best Customer Satisfaction-Builder.

We know that purchasing a home is one of the largest investments in a person’s lifetime. At Miracon, we want to ensure our homeowners are cared for every step of the way, from the experience of the purchase process all the way through to everyday living.

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