Today, I want to touch on your HOW…Your CORE VALUES. First of all consistency between WHY, WHAT and HOW is crucial to build an authentic brand and culture. Everything needs to work together in harmony. People can detect inconsistencies, and when they do, you are perceived as inauthentic and trust evaporates.

In order to create harmony between WHY, WHAT and HOW, you need:

Clarity of WHY

Consistency of WHAT

Discipline of HOW

I know I’ve been getting cute with my WHY, WHAT and HOW talk, but the HOWs are simply the values and principles that guide your actions and decisions on a day-to-day basis. They are the true differentiators of your product or service. As Simon Sinek writes, the discipline of HOW can be more difficult than the WHY:

“Ironically, the most important question with the most elusive answer — WHY do you do what you do? — is actually quite simple and efficient to discover… It’s the discipline to never veer from your cause, to hold yourself accountable to HOW you do things; that’s the hardest part.”

So, today, I want you to look hard at HOW you do things. For me, it wasn’t until I read Good to Great by Jim Collins that I learned about core values and realized how badly I needed them for my company and for my LIFE. If you’re in the same stage I was and you’re looking to establish your core values, the Ignite Purpose PRO process might be a valuable reference to help guide you along the way. Before diving in to discover your core values, however, it’s important to educate yourself on what core values are. According to YourDictionary.com, “Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization. These guiding principles dictate behavior and can help people understand the difference between right and wrong.” In other words, consider core values as the guiding light to show people how to act in your work environment. In essence, your HOW, your core values, are how you and your team should act even when you not around. From a Biblical perspective, it’s like thinking about “What would Jesus do?”