Living and Sustaining the Core Values at NEA

The formulation and execution of a company’s vision and mission are the key elements of a well-managed organization. Modern texts about strategy are replete with the concern of where a company is now (or it’s “mission”) and what directions or areas of growth it would like to pursue (or it’s “vision”). However, the vision and mission are just portions of the equation; the missing piece that would complete the puzzle is the development of its core values.

Core values are “the essence of the company’s identity-the principles, beliefs or philosophy of values.” They are what a firm believes to be good and important, ideas or precepts they are in short, what are “valuable” to them.

In an article at carloreato.com, the following were cited as the advantages of adopting and living its own core values:

·         Core values help companies in the decision-making processes

·         Core values educate clients and potential customers about what the company is about and clarify the identity of the company.

·         Core values educate clients and potential customers about what the company is about and clarify the identity of the company

·         Core values are becoming primary recruiting and retention tools

At the company where I work for, we at National Electrification Administration (NEA) believe in using our core values as a competitive advantage and as a beacon to follow in our journey towards exemplary public service. After a series of participative and reflective sessions among all employees, we have adopted the following core values:

Absolute honesty                        

Maximum efficiency           

Total Solidarity

These core values are tenets by which all NEA employees abide and live by. To effectively serve our clients, we must be absolutely honest. There are no shades of gray, either you are telling the truth or you are not, there should be no halfway mark. Maximum efficiency deals with using our God-given talents to the best of our abilities to serve the nation. And finally, we at NEA are in total solidarity; we act as one to ensure we are able to attain our agency’s mandate.

NEA’s core values are recited during our regular Monday Flag Raising Ceremonies. Indeed, our assembly hall has been renamed as the Honesty, Efficiency, Solidarity Auditorium or HESA.” This is a reminder that these are not just merely window dressing but are one of the various means by which we live and sustain our core values.