Business Aviation: How to Create Effective Corporate Values

To create effective corporate values, it is essential to start with purpose – why your business exists in the first place. Once you have defined this purpose, you can then determine which specific values will help you to stand out from the competition and be successful over the long term.

Start with Purpose

What is the mission or goal that you are striving to achieve? What do you want your company to be known for? By starting with the purpose, it becomes easier to develop specific values that reflect and support this overarching goal.

Make Your Corporate Values Easy to Understand and Remember

Once you have defined the purpose of your corporate values, make sure that they are easy to understand. Do not use complicated language or jargon – keep them simple and concise. This will make them easier to remember and apply in day-to-day situations.

Unique Corporate Values Set You Apart

Unique corporate values can help to set your company apart from the competition. By developing corporate values that reflect your unique brand and mission, you can create a strong connection with customers that is difficult for competitors to match. Additionally, corporate values can help to build customer loyalty and encourage repeat business.

Put Your Corporate Values Into Action

Once you have created corporate values, it is important to put them into action. This means living by them and applying them in all areas of the business. When employees see that the company is committed to its values, they will be more likely to buy into them and work towards achieving the common goal.

Examples of Core Values

Corporate values that are often seen in successful business aviation companies include integrity, innovation, teamwork, respect, and customer focus. These values are not just statements on websites and flyers – they represent the principles that define what your business stands for. Some companies choose to list their corporate values on their website or in marketing materials, while others keep them more internal.

Sarah Keates, Founder of WOI said “Getting started with defining your values can often feel like an empty exercise. Words are written by the marketing department that appear on a website or a corporate deck never to be seen or spoken again. There is, however, an opportunity to bring corporate values to life in internal formats including team building sessions or conflict resolution, and in external or customer/peer facing settings such as conferences, CSR activities, or customer complaint management. The values provide a blueprint from which to communicate and act with a clear sense of alignment”.

Here are some examples of corporate values that you may want to consider for your business: – Integrity: Acting with honesty and sincerity in all dealings – Respect: Treating others with dignity and consideration – Excellence: Striving for the highest quality in all endeavors – Passion: Pursuing work with enthusiasm and determination – Teamwork: Working together for the common good

Tips to Define Corporate Values for Your Aviation Business

• The urge to look up “50 most common company values” or scope out your business opponents may be strong, resist it. Coming up with your own values is more meaningful and will be more resonant with your employees and customers.
• Be clear and concise when communicating your values. People don’t have time or inclination to read long mission statements, so keep them short and sweet. There is always a way to crystalise a long statement into its most concise and powerful form.
• Make sure your values are relevant to your industry. If you run a business aviation company, for example, then integrity, safety, privacy and customer service are likely to be more important values than creativity or fairness. Equally, you may wish to look outside your industry to other sectors. For example, the tech industry tends to be at the forefront of values development in relation to diversity and inclusion, sustainability, and employee experience. Business aviation has, to date been traditional in relation to values, but this is changing for the better as more brands recognise that values are an essential way to differentiate and retain talent.
• As an organisation, “live” your values every day. If you want your employees and customers to take your corporate values seriously, you need to embody them yourself. Be an example for others to follow. Corporate away days are a great way to remind the team of the “why” behind the values, how and why the values serve them, and how to embody them in real life situations at work.

The best way to start is to get the right people in the room with a stack of post it notes. Considering these questions, write down any values you think could fit until everyone has run out of ideas:

• What makes you proud to work in your business?
• What do your customers say about how you do business?
• Why do they matter?
• How can you live them every day?
• What should change? Don’t be afraid to have difficult discussions about matters that concern you, like diversity and inclusion, for example.

Now group values together, this will show you where there are strong themes that your team believe in. Refine your list to identify 3-5 values that you believe in fully, and will eventually affect both your actions and be measurable. Your business’ values are already present, you only need to bring them out.

3 Aviation Companies with Inspiring Corporate Values

• The Registry of Aruba prioritises: Client commitment, Safety, Community, Innovation.
• Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre has three clear values: Safety, Service, and Style.
• Jet Luxe values include: Service, Safety, Efficiency, Being Bold, Innovation.

At WOI, our values are: Respect, Partnership, Social Impact and Sustainability, and Creativity. If you need help getting started with developing or communicating your corporate values, please get in touch info@whiteorchidinsights.com