THE CORE VALUE EQUATION

A CEO examines the importance of organizational core values.

This book tackles a topic that arguably addresses the most vital issue facing CEOs: how to inculcate their organizations with meaningful core values. In a firsthand account, Mirshahzadeh, a CEO who started several successful, high-growth companies, exhibits considerable mea culpa at the outset of his journey, asserting in the introduction: “I hate this company. I can’t believe I created this.” This sobering admission in 2007 led the author to pursue the art and science of creating and implementing worthwhile corporate core values. The book is organized in two parts, the first of which tears down mistaken notions about core values in order to build them up again in Part 2. In Part 1, Mirshahzadeh explores his own failure to develop appropriate core values for his company, his recognition that these values consist of critical elements, and his realization that they “must be authentic from top to bottom in the organization.” He introduces an equation that anchors the remainder of the volume: “CORE VALUES = DECISIONS = ACTIONS = RESULTS.” He also puts forth an intriguing notion—that if the equation is properly followed, core values effectively function as “the most powerful invisible manager in the world.” Part 2 is a comprehensive manual for how to build, refine, and fully implement core values in a company. The author first painstakingly dissects the steps involved in designing core values, citing examples from his own experience. He then discusses “The Art of the Rollout,” a remarkably thorough step-by-step plan for introducing core values to an organization. Next is a refreshingly creative chapter concerning how to make core values “sticky,” in which he reveals, through text and numerous uncredited black-and-white photographs, exactly how these values were brought to life in one of his companies. Finally, Mirshahzadeh explains in detail how to measure and assess results. There is much of value here at a level of detail necessary to do justice to the subject, even if the specifics may seem overwhelming to some. Visionary CEOs will surely embrace the author’s message and take it to heart.

Extensive, engaging, and highly actionable business advice.