Values-Based Business Quiz

Do You Work for a Values-Based Company?

Answer the following questions about your company, organization or place of work. If you conclude you are not working for a values-based company, or you decide the company values are incompatible with your own, you may find this to be a personal wake-up call.

1. Does your company have a published set of values? (If you don’t know, the answer is the same as “no.” Score 2 for yes, 1 for not sure, 0 for no.)

2. Can you state your company’s values off the top of your head? (Score 2 if you can, 1 if you can remember some of them, and 0 if you can’t remember any of them or if the company does not have a list of stated values.)

3. In your company, would employees fib or tell a “white lie” to make a sale? (Score 2 for never, 1 if sometimes, and 0 if yes, most of the time.)

4. Do your top executives “talk the talk” and “walk the walk?” In other words, does your leadership do as they say and act the way they expect you to act? (2 for yes, 1 for sometimes, 0 for no.)

5. Do people in your company (A) always provide full disclosure—even if it means it would negatively affect the bottom line, (B) sometimes omit information that might get in the way of making money or a sale, or (C) do whatever it takes to close a deal? (Score 2 for A, 1 for B, and 0 for C.)

6. Do people in your company communicate openly and share information or do they horde information to the point that some people in the company wonder just what is going on or where the company is going? (Score 2 for open, clear communication, 1 for some open communications, and 0 if people really don’t know what’s going on.)

7. Is your company a fun, invigorating place to work? (Score 2 for yes, 1 for sometimes, 0 for no.)

8. Do people in your company feel they are all pulling together and working on the same team? For example, do they pitch in and help each other during busy times or times of crisis? (Score 2 for yes, 1 if you can say “for the most part” and 0 for poor teamwork.)

9. Do people in your company show respect and common courtesy for each other? (Score 2 for yes, 1 for mostly, 0 for lack of respect.)

10. Can you count on people in your company to follow through every time on commitments they make? (Score 2 for yes, 1 for sometimes, 0 for can’t count on them.)

11. Do people in your company have a passion for their work (“fire in the belly”)? (Score 2 for yes, 1 if some people are passionate about their work, 0 for little or no passion for their work.)

12. Are employees in your company actively encouraged to spend time with family and contribute to the community, even to the point of taking time off for those activities? (Score 2 for yes, 1 for encouraged, but not rewarded for doing so, 0 for no talk or support in the company about the importance of outside interests.)

If your score is 19 to 24 (and no individual score is zero), you are probably working for a company that has a strong sense of some of the following values: honesty, integrity, open communication, balanced life, respect, reliability, teamwork and fairness.

If your score was 18 or less, or if any individual answer produced a zero score, you may wish to look a little more closely at the organization where you spend over half of your waking hours.

If you are feeling out of sync with your workplace, what can you do about it? Perhaps you will want to begin your own movement in your company to align how people act in the workplace with a strong set of values. Or, it just may be that you now have some reason to consider whether or not your company is the best place for you.