We’ve all seen it before.  

A destination’s organizational values exist.  

They are generic. They are probably left over from the last CEO or leader. The values might be plastered on a wall in the corner of the office. They might be recorded in the destination’s Team Member Handbook.  

While organizational values may exist, they are not alive and well in the organization.  

Destination leaders are missing a massive opportunity to ignite their workforce by not bringing their organizational values to life in the destinations they lead. 

Relevant, meaningful, and active organizational values provide all team members within a destination with clarity of what’s expected of them. It provides a north star for all team members to work toward and organizational values should clearly set the standard for what is expected from all team members, regardless of their role in the organization. 

When a destination’s organizational values are relevant and meaningful, and all team members throughout the organization live those values, workforces thrive.  

Strategic goals are met more often, destination impact increases, team member retention grows, and recruitment opportunities improve.

Unfortunately, far too many destinations operate without organizational values that are alive and well.  

Those destinations are likely missing an opportunity to bring their workforce together in a meaningful way.  

Ready to bring your organizational values to life? Here are eight places to start: 

1. Clearly Define your Destination’s Organizational Values

Ensure that your organizational values are clearly defined and easy to understand. Use language that resonates with your team and aligns with the overall mission and vision for your destination.  

2. Destination Leadership Must Live the Values

Leaders must embody these values in their behaviors, actions, and decision-making, serving as role models for others to follow. If leadership doesn’t exemplify the destination’s organizational values, nobody will follow them. It starts with leadership and each of those leaders modeling the behavior they expect to see from others.  

3. Integrate your Organizational Values into Policies and Processes

Embed the values into your organization's policies, procedures, and decision-making processes. This ensures that the values are not just aspirational but are considered in day-to-day operations. 

4. Incorporate the Organization’s Values into Regular Communication and Training

Communicate the values regularly through various channels such as meetings, newsletters, and internal communications. Offer training sessions to help team members understand and embrace the values. 

5. Publicly Recognize and Reward Team Members Who Exemplify the Values

Recognize and reward individuals and teams who exemplify the organization’s values. This creates a positive reinforcement loop and encourages others to follow suit. Try this: when presenting an “employee of the month” award, link their actions directly back to an organizational value or two.  

6. Build Organizational Values into Performance Evaluations

When it comes time for performance evaluations, add a section to evaluate team members on how effectively and consistently (or not) they live and exemplify the values of the organization. These actions and behaviors are just as, if not more important, than their technical competency. Build these into performance evaluations to give team members the feedback and clarity they need to improve.  

7. Evaluate Values Fit in the Hiring Process

Incorporate the values into the hiring process to attract individuals who share similar principles. Establishing a standard framework to evaluate candidates also creates a more even playing field when it comes to the candidate evaluation process, improving the opportunity for destinations to hire candidates from diverse backgrounds. 

8. Showcase Organizational Values During Onboarding

It’s imperative to share what your destination’s values are during the onboarding process. Take the next step by showing how those values are lived and embodied by team members throughout the organization every single day.  

Bring your Workforce Together With Meaningful and Relevant Organizational Values

Organizational values, when alive and well in a destination, can be an incredibly powerful tool to spur engagement, buy-in, motivation, and performance from team members.  

Unfortunately, destination leaders often struggle to hone the power of their organization’s values. They exist, but they are not alive and well.  

For organizations that can harness the power of their values, the results are clear.

• Better bottom-line outcomes  
• Greater community impact
• Improved employee retention
• Stronger recruiting pipelines 

Destinations thrive more often when they can bring their organizational values to life.  

Get clear about your values, start simply, and continue working until your destination’s values and alive and well in your organization.