Over the years, I’ve seen so many beautifully crafted company value statements, you know, the ones that often end up gathering a little dust on the break room wall.
But what if I told you there’s a surprisingly simple way to actually breathe life into those values, making them feel real and impactful for your employees? The secret might be right in front of your nose, or more accurately, right in front of a camera!
Think about this: imagine walking into your company and seeing a vibrant display, maybe a digital mosaic or even a physical wall, adorned with employee headshots. But here’s the twist: each image is thoughtfully styled or paired with a story that reflects one of your core company values, maybe teamwork, innovation, or unwavering integrity.
Suddenly, your mission statement isn’t just words; it’s a vibrant, visual representation of what your company stands for, brought to life by the amazing people who work there.
Let’s explore how employee headshots can become incredibly powerful tools in reinforcing your company’s core values, making them more than just abstract concepts.
More Than Just Pretty Faces: They’re Visual Anchors for Your Company’s Soul
We often think of headshots as just a way to put a face to a name in an email or on a directory. But when it comes to internal messaging and really embedding your company’s culture, they can be so much more.
They can act as visual anchors for your company’s values, taking those sometimes abstract concepts like “integrity,” “innovation,” or “customer focus” and making them feel tangible and relatable in the everyday world of your workplace.
The Psychology of Visual Reinforcement: Seeing is Believing (and Remembering!)
Here’s a fun fact that really underscores this: our brains are wired to process images a staggering 60,000 times faster than text!
So, when you thoughtfully pair a core company value with the actual face of an employee who embodies that value, you’re creating a powerful and almost instant association in people’s minds.
It’s almost like creating a visual “baseball card” for each of your company’s values, making them more memorable and impactful.
Bringing Your Company Values to Life, One Friendly Face at a Time
Let’s break down some practical ways you can use headshots to really reinforce each of your core company values:
Integrity: Showcase employees who have demonstrably shown exceptional honesty or strong ethical behavior in their work. Pair their professional headshot with a brief, compelling story or anecdote that highlights their integrity in action.
Teamwork: Create visually appealing collages or team spotlights featuring the headshots of teams who have accomplished truly great things by working effectively together. It’s a fantastic visual reminder that we really are stronger when we collaborate.
Innovation: Highlight the friendly faces behind your company’s latest breakthrough ideas, creative solutions, or innovative projects. You could even create an internal “innovation hall of fame” featuring their headshots to inspire others to think outside the box.
Customer Focus: Feature the headshots of employees who have gone above and beyond to provide exceptional service or create positive experiences for your clients. It really puts a face to the abstract idea of outstanding customer focus.
Diversity and Inclusion: Intentionally use a diverse range of employee headshots in all your internal communications about company values to visually reinforce your strong commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels.
The Campaign Approach: Turning Values into Actionable Visuals
Here’s how you could turn this concept into a really engaging and impactful internal campaign:
Value of the Month: Each month, spotlight different employees whose recent actions truly exemplify a specific core company value. Feature their headshots prominently in your internal communications.
Values Challenge: Encourage employees to nominate their colleagues who they believe best embody certain company values. Feature the headshots of the winners in a special announcement or display.
Value Ambassadors: Consider selecting a few employees to be the “face” of each core value for a set period, maybe a year. Their headshots could then become synonymous with that particular value in all your internal communications and training materials.
The Tech Toolkit: Bringing It All Together in the Digital Age
To make this vision a reality, you’ll likely need a few key tools:
A Robust Internal Communication Platform: This could be your company intranet, a dedicated employee communication app, or even a regular internal newsletter platform.
Digital Signage in Common Areas: If you have physical office spaces, digital signage can be a fantastic way to visually display these “Faces of Values.”
An Employee Recognition System: If you already have a recognition system in place, see if it integrates well with your communication tools to easily feature headshots alongside value-based recognition.
Measuring the Impact: Seeing the Positive Changes
How will you know if this approach is actually making a difference?
Here are some key indicators to look for:
Increased Engagement: Are you seeing higher engagement rates with your internal communications that feature these “Faces of Values”?
Better Understanding: Do employee surveys show an improved understanding and recall of your company’s core values?
More Frequent Mentions: Are employees starting to more frequently mention and reference the core values in their day-to-day work and conversations?
Improved Alignment: Are you observing a stronger alignment between employee behavior and your company’s stated core values?
Potential Pitfalls (and Smart Ways to Dodge Them!)
As with any initiative, it’s good to be aware of potential challenges:
Overexposure: Be mindful of not featuring the same employees too frequently. Rotate the featured individuals regularly to keep things fresh and inclusive.
Inclusivity Concerns: Make a conscious effort to ensure a diverse range of employees from different departments, roles, and backgrounds are featured to truly reflect your entire workforce.
Privacy Issues: Always, always get explicit consent from employees before using their headshots and stories in this way. Transparency is key.
The Wonderful Ripple Effect: Benefits Beyond Internal Messaging
While this approach is primarily designed to strengthen your internal culture and communication, don’t be surprised if it has some positive external benefits as well:
Stronger Employer Brand: Showcasing your values in such a tangible way can make your company more attractive to potential job candidates.
More Authentic Client Relationships: When clients see the people behind your values, it can build trust and create more genuine connections.
Improved Recruitment Efforts: Highlighting your values in action through your employees can be a powerful recruitment tool.
Seeing the Bigger Picture: How Headshots Can Truly Bring Your Values to Life
Remember, your company’s core values aren’t just words on a wall or in a handbook, they’re the very heart and soul of your organization, lived out every single day by your amazing employees.
By thoughtfully putting faces to these values through professional headshots and their stories, you’re not just reinforcing those values; you’re celebrating the incredible people who bring them to life within your company.
So, are you ready to put a face to your values?
Trust me, the picture it paints of your company culture will be worth a thousand words and then some!
Corporate Portrait
Think school picture day meets the business world.
Corporate Portrait brings professional headshot photography directly to your business in Omaha, Lincoln, and surrounding Nebraska communities. Starting at $30 per employee with full ownership rights included. Because getting great headshots shouldn’t be complicated.