Well, you don’t actually have to take them down but try this. Without looking at the poster, tell us what they say. Then, tell a story that illustrates how the company is behaving in alignment with the vision and mission you set out. If you can pass this quick acid test, my money’s on your success.

At some point, you spent a lot of time, energy, and resources crafting your vision and mission statements. You developed a comprehensive list of values that you believed in. You loved it when you wrote it but haven’t looked at it for a while and you certainly aren’t using it in any meaningful way.

I’ve started many meetings with a vision reading. There’s something different about hearing people on the team read the values out loud. Then we might ask if anyone has any stories that illustrate how our company’s vision is being lived. I would typically be ready with one of my own and if the story was about someone in the room; all the better! This isn’t a ‘feel good’ exercise. It’s a disciplined approach to reinforcing the right behaviors and eliminating the unwanted ones.

It’s never too late to ensure that you are keeping your culture alive and well. You may have had to make changes to various elements of your business in the last year but I would argue that a well-crafted vision and a thorough set of values should weather even the fiercest storm…

If you don’t have a solid vision or it needs updating, it’s a great opportunity to re-energize the team and point them in a new direction.

If your company has a clearly articulated vision with core values, what’s your favorite value?