When I started working with Becky in 2012, the work we did, and the team we had, looked quite a bit different than it does today.

However, from the very beginning Becky has been focused on discovering and applying core values to the work we do, and the service that we provide. She’s always been passionate about defining what “making a difference” looks like, both for clients and for our team of contractors.

It took us two years, but 2014 has been the year of really clarifying and defining what those core values look like.

Core Value #1: Partnership

Our values guide our behavior, decisions, and choices. They highlight our differentiation from others. They are both actual and aspirational, describing how we operate as well as how we most aspire to operate.

One of our values is to partnership.

When we first started, we were more of a mix of individuals, using our skills to help Becky build her start-up company. Today, we are partners in a team, working together for the good of our clients, and each other. READ MORE

Core Value #2: Generosity

Our value of generosity stems from an abundance mentality: there is more than enough work, more than enough time, more than enough energy, more than enough of everything we need.

I also want to weave the value of generosity into everything we do as a company, so that as a team we live this value daily, without question.

One of the first things that comes to mind when I think of Becky is the word generosity. She is easily one of the most generous people I know, so it’s no surprise that this would be the second core value in her company. READ MORE

Core Value #3: Responsiveness

The challenge with responsiveness comes down to balance. We have to balance our days so we respond in a timely manner, while taking the necessary time to offer a thorough, positive response.

Responsiveness is the core value that is teaching me the most right now.

This core value has become more important as our team has grown. With people scattered across multiple time zones and states, the importance of quick and accurate communication is vital, and team member Christy Kirk captured that perfectly in her post. READ MORE

Core Value #4: Integrity

When focused on integrity, we cannot buy into the myth that the ends always justify the means. Integrity asks us to acknowledge our interconnectivity with one another and our responsibility to interact with honesty at all times.

To truly have integrity, we must transcend strategic kindness and embrace radical authenticity.

Radical authenticity – two words that don’t automatically spring to mind when I think about social media. And yet that’s all the more reason for us, as a social media team, to have integrity in all that we do – both online and off. Team member Sara Reinis shares more in her post. READ MORE

Core Value #5: Growth

At Weaving Influence, we know growth won’t be easy. We know we will be standing at the precipice of breakthroughs at times, reluctant to do the hard stuff. But we know the hard stuff will get our authors and clients where they need to be.

And as a team we have faith that we may end up astonishing ourselves.

I love the fact that even though Becky came up with our core values (with help from the team), she only wrote about the first two on the blog. The fact that core values 3, 4, 5, and 6 were all written about by the four newest members of our team (this one by Paula Kiger) shows just how far we have grown! READ MORE

Core Value #6: Flexibility

Not having an office I need to arrive at everyday, and not requiring a conference room to meet with my co-workers has opened up a world of flexibility in the workplace I could not have wrapped my head around without having lived it first.

The flexibility to choose what works best for me proves that the way we work doesn’t have to be one size fits all.

It’s a pretty safe bet that if you asked any member of our team what they like most about their work with Weaving Influence, the answer that you would hear the most would be, “the flexibility” of the job. I know I’ve said it – and I know I mean it. Great post from team member Kylah Frazier. READ MORE

You Tell Me! You don’t have to be a business or a team to have core values – what would make YOUR list?

Carrie Koens

Carrie Koens joined the Weaving Influence team in May 2012 and has held a number of roles, including three years as the Book Launch Director (a title she stepped away from in June 2016 in order to focus on the needs of her growing family), and she currently serves the team as a Writer and Consultant. An INTJ with a penchant for culture, book stores, Parisian cafés, Indian curry, British mystery shows, and her passport, you can find her on Twitter @CGKoens.