I just came across a great article at
Slawek?s Lachowski website (great manager & entrepreneur, former BRE Bank CEO and
mBank founder - one of biggest internet banks in Europe) speaking about the fundamental role of core values in creating and lasting of a company. Read it
here (DROGA wazniejsza niz cel).
I sincerely agree with Slawek. Core Values well defined at an early stage of building of a company decide, beside temporarily well chosen strategy, the existence and growth of a company. Core Values are the fundamentals, the culture, the backbone of a company, and if well planted will be very difficult to destroy and will make that company prosper irrelevant from market conditions, governance or ownership.
In my experience defining the core values of
SoftwareMind as People, Quality, Product, and Integrity (in that order and meaning) was one of the major milestones for the company. It took place in the very beginning (after IIF involvement) and helped to guide the company since then. Core values definition is what we do at
IIF in every our investment and as soon as possible. We know it is crucial and as important as strategy definition or business planing. And should always come first!
If you are interested exploring that topic further see Jim Collins speaking about it in his two bestselling books ?Good to great? and ?Built to LAST?.
