The Importance of Values

Once upon a time profit was the main, if not only, driver toward a company’s success. Today there are so many more factors involved. Not only are organisations becoming more aware of our impact on the environment, we are also much more aware of the impact our activities have on society, our clients and on our own people. With this awareness comes a responsibility to take accountability for our actions and to operate according to what we value most. Within an organisation, the values are the guiding principles that underpin how we think and work together to deliver the common business goals.

In our work with clients, we often see how lived values can help shape and deliver sustainable change and the importance these values play.  They are a critical element of people change, providing a purpose and guidance while instilling trust and a sense of belonging.  In this ‘Core Values Series’, we want to start with Afiniti and why our values are so important to our business, people, and our clients. 

At Afiniti we operate according to our three core values of ‘People at the Heart, Put the Client First and Act with Integrity‘  which reflect our passion and commitment to shaping and delivering sustainable change with our clients while supporting our people.

The Afiniti values are not simply generic marketing statements. They are the result of like-minded partners coming together to decide what matters most to them, how they expect to be treated, what they expect from themselves, each other, and the people they work with in the broader business community. 

When establishing our values, we also asked our clients for feedback to confirm our understanding of what was right for them and to take account of how they liked to work with Afiniti people. The resultant set of values provided the bedrock for building the company, the qualities we look for when recruiting and the ethos we promote to the industries we work in.

Establishing our values required much introspection and observation.  Living by our values requires commitment and clear insight into the industries and people we work with. They are reflected in every project we embark on, every recommendation we make and decision we take.  They guide our performance and drive our behaviour. 

No company can force its values on employees. So, it is a worthy reflection on our leadership team that the values have been so clearly reflected in the talent we have employed and that their example has been so consistently followed. By extension, Afiniti’s success over the past 20 years is testament to our teams so readily embracing the same core values.

The next Insights in our ‘Core Values Series’ will look at how each of these values helps deliver effective, sustainable change for our clients:

People at the Heart – Change is uncomfortable. But by focussing on the benefits to people, understanding their needs and concerns, and involving them throughout the process, we help make it appealing and hence more likely to succeed and stick. 

Act with Integrity – We lead by example and make ourselves accountable for everything we do. Our methods reflect the change required and we always demonstrate confidence in leadership, discussions, challenges and deliverables.

Put the Client First – We put ourselves in our clients’ shoes by immersing ourselves in their organisation, culture and industry. We make sure we understand the challenges and manage expectations in the process of delivering practical, effective business change solutions.