Shawn Jenkins

One of the benefits of a constant emphasis on core values and culture is that you begin to see opportunities to express them in many ways. One example is our recent Photography Exhibit: Together.

We were planning a photo contest and exhibition for our associates. We love visuals in our office. Rather than hire an interior designer to make our space look the way they want it, we often choose to offer opportunities that unlock the creativity in our folks instead. As we planned the exhibit we needed a theme to center the content around.

We had many ideas for the exhibit theme such as international cities, seasons, nature, technology, etc. Then one person came up with the theme: Together.

One of our Core Values is "Together." We see it in so many ways in our teams, our environments and our shared successes. It was an inspired idea and was perfect for our project. We selected our location for the exhibit and publicized the contest. Our associates came back with hundreds of amazing photographs expressing their visual sense of togetherness. We hired a local professional photographer to judge the entries and had a big celebration for the unveiling. It was a huge success!

The images are now prominently displayed on a wall that sees high traffic during the week on our campus. When we walk by the wall, we see the images and also see the concept of “Together” literally on display. We can talk about it and share it with prospective associates and customers. It is our culture living and expressing itself. It was natural, even obvious. Be intentional and bold with your team's values; you will be amazed at how they will come to life!

You can see the ‘Together’ photo contest submissions on my Facebook page(https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.547517525356038.1073741829.318213204953139&type=1)
http://shawnjenkins.benefitfocus.com/2014/3/4/intentional-culture