Yes - alive. Meaning, not dead.

As in stuck in a drawer and maybe, if you're lucky, your overachiever can remember two out of six.

At Premier Employment Screening Services they have a really wonderful remedy.

Employees can nominate other employees for exhibiting company values. They do this via a full sheet of paper that states "Today I'm recognizing that you made a difference! We believe that our values contribute to our success and growth and are reflected in everything we say and do. Today (name of coworker) exhibited the following Premier Core Value" - then their 6 values are listed with check boxes next to them. Then there is an area where they write specifically what their coworker did to exhibit that value. Then the nominator puts their name and the date. That month, all of the nominations are placed where everyone can see them. Then once a month, the CEO selects the one nomination that best represents the values of the company. Both the nominator and the nominee receive a $25 gift certificate.

But here's the clincher...when rolling out this program, the CEO talked genuinely about the importance of the values and the value of the employees. He talked about how sometimes you see someone working really hard and all you really know about him/her is their outer shell. And the whole time he's holding this rock and referring to it throughout the course of his presentation. Then he turns the rock around and on the inside is this beautiful display of majesty - of crystals. And he tells them how they can look beyond the outer shell and see the inner beauty, the inner humanity, of their coworkers.

And of course everyone is moved by now - because this is real.

It's not cheesy.

And it's not cheesy, because his sentiments are real.

And the nominee that is chosen for the month receives the rock as a reminder that someone on their team saw the beauty of their contribution - of their work. Of them.

That's what I call real values that create real value.