Ebony and I spent a huge swath of 2023 working with the Business Affairs Division of the University of Richmond in the creation of a new Mission, Vision and Values centered around inclusion and belonging. We spent time with almost all of the division’s 500+ employees — representing housekeeping and custodial services, dining, landscaping, Human Resources and finance, public safety, and more.

In the end, we landed on a framing of established aspects of their culture, and spent a lot of time at the end of the project working with UR staff to wordsmith and frame the core values in ways that really resonated with the division’s aspirations and provided clarity and opportunities for engagement for employees.

Over the winter, the division rolled out their new Mission, Vision and Values, and had a set of stickers produced for each of the Core Values. Business Affairs staff are encouraged to give coworkers a sticker when they “catch them” demonstrating one of the values. The stickers are finding their way onto people’s water bottles and cell phone cases around campus.

Sometimes, the easiest way to focus on key aspects of your culture is to make your culture more visible.