CCG - Take the soul test

QUIZ

ANSWERS

VERDICT

1. How did you come up with your company's core ideology?

It's based on one used by a respected company.
We wrote one that would help us turn more profits.
It's what we believe in.

2. Most of your employees:

Can describe the company's basic values and beliefs from memory.
Would have to dig up their employee manuals for the mission statement.
Wouldn't know the company's core values if they were written on the wall.

3. When it comes to charitable causes, your company:

Supports charities to convey a caring, community-minded message.
Supports causes and programs that align with your company's values and beliefs.
Doesn't have the funds to spare, but feels obligated to donate to pump up its corporate image.

4. Your company's core ideology is centered on:

Products and services.
Profits.
Values and beliefs.

5. If your company's core ideology wasn't helping to increase profits, you would:

Scrap your core ideology and make a fresh start.
Rewrite your core ideology to be more profit-focused.
Revamp policies and processes to change the way you carry out your core ideology.

6. When hiring, you:

Look mainly for qualifications such as education and experience.
Seek employees who can be trained on the company's values.
Look for people who fit in with your company's philosophy and way of doing things.

CORRECT ANSWERS

1. – c
Your company's core ideology must come from you, not from another company. Ideally, it should come from the heartfelt beliefs of your company's founders.

2. – a
If your employees can't describe your core ideology, you probably aren't instilling its principles in your employee training. These basic values and beliefs can't just be filed away in a drawer somewhere. You must shout them from the rooftops and drive them home to your team every day.

3. – b
Charity doesn't equal soul. If you support charitable causes, do it because it's consistent with your company's value system, not to advance your company's image.

4. – c
It's OK to include products, services and profits in your core ideology, but that should never be the focus. Reach down deeper and get to the true reason your company exists.

5. – c
While the way you adhere to your core ideology will change over time, your company's fundamental purpose and belief system should never waver.

6. – c
People can be trained to perform certain duties, but their basic ideals are difficult to change. The most successful companies hire people whose values and beliefs are already closely aligned with the company's core ideology.

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WHAT'S THE VERDICT?

5 or 6 Correct Answers: Your soul runs deep. Your company has a clear set of values and it shows. Don't let up -- keep your core ideology in mind in every decision you make. It'll be one of the few things that remains steady through your company's ups and downs.

3 or 4 Correct Answers: You're on the soul train. You've got the idea, but you need to take a hard look at how you can better align your strategies, tactics and operations with your company's core ideals.

1 or 2 Correct Answers: Time to visit the soul doctor. Once you've read Does your company have a soul?, gain a deeper insight into creating a core ideology in the book Built to Last by James Collins and Jerry Porras (Harper Business 1997).