Shaping Organizational Values: Insights from Smithbucklin’s Values Launch

Overview 

• Smithbucklin underwent a year-long, comprehensive process to redefine its organizational Values, which involved input from employees across the company. Focus groups and work sessions also took place to help shape the Values. The final Values were designed to support Smithbucklin’s multi-year goals and be authentic and relatable to our employees.  
• The company decided on four new Values: Optimism, Ambition, Expertise, and Thoughtfulness. These Values inspire employees to strive for excellence, and they create a positive and fulfilling environment for all.  
• Smithbucklin launched the new Values through a company-wide initiative that included a virtual Town Hall, small group discussions, and the appointment of “Values Champions” to support the ongoing application of the Values. The Values will also be embedded into recruiting activities, orientation for new hires, performance appraisals, and development and learning events.

Values are at the heart of an organization's culture. When employees, members, and collaborators feel a connection to an organization's Values, it creates a positive and fulfilling environment for everyone. Values also provide a shared understanding of what an organization stands for and what it expects from its employees, as well as what clients and collaborators can expect from the organization. 

After nearly two decades of established Values guiding the organization, Smithbucklin set out to redefine our Values. This year-long process was an effort to shape our Values to reflect both the organization we are today and what we aspire to become. We launched our new Values on June 4, 2024, during a special Town Hall for all 700 Smithbucklin employees, followed by opportunities to become immersed in learning the Values through small group discussions.  

We began this journey by establishing working criteria to identify our Values. We aimed for no more than five Values to maintain focus and clarity. Though it was tempting to identify numerous Values, we felt that less was more powerful because Values should be simple, bold, and memorable. As Values form the foundation of a successful, healthy organizational culture, we needed them to clearly support our multi-year goals while being authentically ours. The goal was for our team members to be proud of these Values, be able to talk about them in conversation with ease, and to link them directly to how we work together and make decisions.  

The development of our new Values required an inclusive and iterative process:

1. Shaping a new set of Values: After reflecting on our existing Values, a small team shaped a set of new proposed Values. We then solicited input from employees across the company through focus groups and work sessions. This process involved discussing variations of the words, examining the antonyms, and collecting reactions. An important aspect of this exercise was ensuring that the definitions of these Values were tailored to fit our unique Smithbucklin culture. We understand that our people have their own lived experiences, and know it was critical to define what these words mean specifically to our people and our culture. With a refined set of Values, we sought final input from various groups of leaders on whether our Values felt “right,” and which of them may be challenging.  

2. Identifying Values-based actions and behaviors: We asked employees to consider actions that would bring our Values to life with clients and within the industries we serve. We sought feedback on the behaviors and actions from employees.  

3. Finalize Values-based actions and behaviors: We synthesized and finalized behaviors, and identified those that both enabled and were at odds with our new Values. For example, one of the Values is Optimism. Looking at the ways to solve a problem creatively and with a positive mindset would be a Value-based action; saying there was no viable solution would be at odds with this Value. 

4. Finalizing Values: We refined all employee, executive, and board member input and iterated to reach a final set of Values and definitions to reflect what the Values would look like in action.  

5. Launching and embedding the Values: To create excitement among employees and offer opportunities for learning and understanding the Values, we spent six months planning a company-wide launch. We created a visual identity, Values toolkit resource, and microsite. We planned a launch day that included a virtual Town Hall, followed by in-person, small group discissions. We invited employees to serve as Values Champions, supporting the launch day discussions and being an ongoing resource as we apply the Values to our work. Now, we are working to embed the Values into recruiting activities, orientation for new hires, performance appraisals, and development and learning events..  

Introducing our Values 

Smithbucklin identified four core Values that will shape our company culture: Optimism, Ambition, Expertise, and Thoughtfulness.  

Let me share a little more insight into each of our Values.  

We believe Optimism is not just about being hopeful; it is about inspiring others and persevering despite obstacles. We are dedicated to finding innovative solutions to challenges and motivating one another to keep moving forward.  

Our Ambition drives us to set lofty goals and work towards them. By pursing new opportunities and embracing innovation, we continue to grow and to offer greater Value to our clients. Our commitment to this Value means we are always looking for ways to make a bigger impact through our work.  

Expertise is at the forefront of everything we do. Our team members are highly skilled and take pride in delivering top-notch results. We actively work to uphold standards of excellence, maintain high performance, and achieve exceptional results for clients.  

Thoughtfulness permeates our decision-making processes and interactions. We prioritize inclusivity and consider diverse perspectives to ensure well-rounded outcomes. An example of this is our approach to employee well-being initiatives. By actively seeking input from employees across different departments and roles, we’ve developed comprehensive programming that genuinely addresses their needs and fosters a supportive work environment.  

If you are interested in taking a fresh look at your organization’s Values, here are some things to consider: 

• What Values, including your existing ones, align with your mission, goals, and strategic priorities?  
• Are your Values still relevant today?  
• What do your stakeholders expect from you? Do you feel that you are fulfilling those expectations? 
• What are the core beliefs your organization needs to uphold?  
• What are your current strengths? Can you identify any opportunities for growth?  
• Who should be involved in considering a process to revisit your Values?  

Photo (left to right): Matt Sanderson (President & CEO, Smithbucklin), Beth Surmont (Vice President of Event Strategy & Design, 360 Live Media), Robin Rone (Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Smithbucklin, Executive Director, Apra), Erin Hlavacek (Senior Manager, Education and Learning Services, Smithbucklin), Chris Mundschenk (Association Management Executive Director, Smithbucklin), and Colette Huzinec (Chief People Officer, Smithbucklin) at the launch of the new Smithbucklin Values. 

While Smithbucklin has reached a major milestone with our Values launch, the work of applying the Values to all we do is our next opportunity. Values are the foundation of our organization and, with time and practice, will become embedded in all that we do.  

Meet the Team

Colette Huzinec

she/her
Chief People Officer
Smithbucklin

Matt Sanderson

he/him
President & CEO
Smithbucklin

Beth Surmont

she/her
Vice President of Business Event Strategy & Design
360 Live Media 

 

Robin Rone

she/her
Association Management
Smithbucklin

Erin Hlavacek

she/her
Education and Learning Services
Smithbucklin

Chris Mundschenk

he/him
Association Management
Smithbucklin