Republic Day honours the day the Constitution of India came into force. Led by B.R Ambedkar, lawmakers took 3 years from Independence to come up with the document that governs the nation of India. It is the supreme law of the land and incidentally the longest constitution of the world - testament to the complexity of our country.

Constitutions provide laws that express the values of a country. In the preamble of a constitution one finds these values that are being aspired to succinctly articulated. The American Constitution famously believes in Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. The Indian preamble avows that India will always strive to promote Justice, Equality, Liberty and Fraternity for all its citizens. These values, once established, allow for clarity in decision-making and make the task of taking the country towards the vision envisioned by its founders and citizens more clear-cut.

Similarly, a firm should have a mission and values that govern its workings. A mission statement, though often just a line or two line, functions very much like a preamble. It articulates a vision, setting goals, and is almost always inspiring and enduring in nature. Values to govern the everyday functioning of an organisation are like the laws that help maintain the character of the firm. They help employees identify with the company in a deeper way and guide their behaviour. They also determine how companies engage with their clients and customers.

Deciding what values to hold dear for a company is no easy task. But as an entrepreneur, it is one of those things that fall to you. It is a responsibility and a gift that you can choose how to build the character of your company. Of course, enforcing the principles takes time and involves a lot of man-management, but the end result will be worth it. A purposeful firm capable of overcoming challenges and moving towards a goal despite the odds.

Here are some examples of guiding principles you can employ for your startup:

1. Having a vision: Every startup needs a big idea that drives its existence towards something greater. This is its vision. The place where its founder or founders envision the company to go towards.

2. Integrity: Integrity means adherence to a moral code of honesty and transparency in action and communication. Integrity is one of those qualities that can really distinguish a firm in the marketplace. Clients and customers come to expect consistency and honesty and this can help promote growth over the long term. Integrity within the firm allows for smooth and predictable functioning and makes it easier to deal with lapses in judgement from employees that are inevitable over time

3. Scalability: Always be equipped to increase in scale. Startups that are successful over the long term are ones that have the capability to scale up. This may seem intuitive but often startups fail when opportunity knocks and they are required to expand

4. Sustainability: Sustainability in this sense is the incorporation of processes that stand up to all economic conditions and provide services that are differentiated so as to promote a long term demand. Sustainability can also mean being environmentally conscious, in itself a differentiating factor in today’s market

5. Problem solving: The attitude towards adversity of any kind should not be despondency but problem solving. If one can ingrain this attitude into a business, the business has a higher chance of success

6. Empathy: The ability to listen, understand and act meaningfully on what’s bothering people can significantly improve the firm’s relationship with its clients and customers. This allows the firm to cater better to their needs. Also, empathy allows for a better work culture within the firm and could be that differentiating factor that draws talent to you.

Companies with strong guiding principles are more likely to succeed in doing business over time than companies that are just getting the job done. This Republic Day make an effort to establish a mission and guiding principles and see the difference in the performance of your company.

Happy Republic Day!