Ah, Core Values… one of the pillars of the standard business trifecta of Mission, Vision, Core Values.
We’ve seen many companies list them on their websites and likely many companies do have an emphasis on living them that makes them meaningful and even special. But don’t you feel like there may be many companies where the majority of employees can’t easily say what the Core Values are?
When we set about the task of defining Luma’s Core Values, Kim and Heather drafted some and then immediately brought them to what is now called the Leadership Team (more on this in a future post). We all worked together to come up with a set that was:
- A little bit unusual in that they are short phrases
- Tiered in a way that shows what you HAVE to have naturally in your DNA, versus what can be ACQUIRED over time with the team
- Above all else: MEANINGFUL
Hilariously, we worked on our Core Values before we even had a name for the new firm because finding a name was HAAAAARD (look forward to hearing more about this in the next blog post…). So it was very ironic at the time that, while nothing was landing on the name front, the Core Values came together crazy quickly with unanimous agreement from the whole Leadership Team!
At the same time, we knew these values would one day serve as a foundation not just for our culture, but for how we deliver bookkeeping, accounting, job costing, and financial clarity to clients who trust us with their business. Our goal has always been to help small business owners solve financial challenges with clarity and confidence.
So without further ado, we proudly present the 7 (original) Core Values and the “tiers”:
Permission to Play / Entry
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does the RIGHT THING
- honest and trustworthy, even when it is not easy to be
has the EYE OF AN EDITOR
- has excellent attention to detail
- catches mistakes
- notices small changes
- asks questions to ensure understanding
Our Core
————-
shows ACCOUNTABILITY / OWNERSHIP
- is accountable
- is reliable
- takes things to completion
thrives on COLLABORATION
- selfless approach
- enjoys lending AND receiving support
- team player
- actively participates
enjoys CHANGE
- likes learning new technology
- continuous improvement
- takes on new challenges
Aspirational
——————-
acts like A DETECTIVE
- tenacious
- problem solver
- looks for clues
lives AUTHENTICALLY, GENUINELY and with TRUST
- no beating around the bush
- gives it to you straight with no b.s.
- able to say anything and feel safe doing it
- shows appreciation
Is 7 too many?? A lot of people would unequivocally say “Yes – that is too many!”
But we didn’t care – because ALL of these felt RIGHT. And that’s what mattered to us.
And these 7 stayed exactly as they are… until 4-6 months later as we worked on our Strategic Plan, we realized that we needed to make a change – literally to the “enjoys CHANGE” Core Value. We kept coming back to “our secret sauce” of Accounting | Technology | Process and the fact that because we really focus on technology, you are NOT going to enjoy being on our team if you don’t enjoy learning new tech on a frequent basis. And then we thought about how the combination of Accounting | Technology | Process can really be summed up into the word “innovation”. And so we tweaked this one Core Value to be:
finds opportunities for INNOVATION
- likes learning new technology
- continuous improvement
- takes on new challenges
And with that, Luma’s Core Values – while great in numbers – became the bedrock of the firm, from being a part of our ideal client profile, to our team performance rubric and beyond!
These Core Values also extend to how we serve our clients. Luma Accounting, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, proudly works with small businesses nationwide, applying the same principles of accountability, collaboration, and innovation to the way we deliver bookkeeping, accounting, and job costing services.
Need reliable bookkeeping, accounting, and job costing support for your Portland or U.S.-based business? Contact Luma Accounting today by filling out our quick form to get started. We’ll follow up to schedule your free consultation and show you how we solve financial challenges while delivering financial clarity with a team that truly lives its Core Values.
