Lights…camera…VALUES in action
In business values are what help to define purpose. Core values inform direction, influence decisions, and provide a promise of what the organization represents. Business values also need to be a foundation of inspiration for employees, connecting with their daily work.
Too often, organizational values are broad statements or lengthy sentences attempting to meld several ideas. Or they are one-word statements without supporting context that provides clear definition of the intended meaning. Neither of these scenarios support the connectivity needed to help employees embrace, let alone remember, the values.
It’s not that organizations set out to create confusion and certainly the goal is not to lead to disconnection, but it happens all too often.
Let’s talk about clarity
In the book, The Advantage (Lencioni, 2012), the author outlines a roadmap for organizational health. One of his key points is establishing clarity within the organization and communicating that clarity effectively.
“Core values lie at the heart of the organization’s identity, do not change over time, and must already exist.” (p. 92)
He goes on to demonstrate how lack of clarity can undermine an organization’s success.
“When an organization announces that it has nine core values including customer service, innovation, quality, honesty, integrity, environmental responsibility, work-life balance, financial responsibility, and respect for the individual, it makes it impossible to use those values to make decisions, hire employees, or enact policies. After all, no action, person, or policy can meet all of those criteria.” (p. 92)
Which reinforces the point…values matter. And more importantly, clarity surrounding those values is critical for success.
In search of clarity
Integrity
Innovation
Collaboration
Respect
Excellence
These are five powerful words. But what they mean to a leader and what they mean to an employee could be vastly different.
It makes sense that organizational success depends on a common understanding of the values and expectations for how those values will be applied in each job. Values listed on a website or in organizational propaganda need an additional layer of conversation to ensure understanding.
As a leader, it is your role to clarify organizational values and bridge aspiration with action with your employees. You serve as the conduit for deeper understanding and provide importance to the tasks that need to be performed for the organization to succeed.
Providing this added layer of investment in your employees will directly impact the work they perform, allow space for their insights for new ways to optimize these values and can vastly improve employee retention.
We all spend much of our time at work. When that work is impactful, part of a larger purpose and each role is recognized by the contribution it makes to living the values the entire team is successful.
As a leader, open dialogue with individuals and their role in the context of core values is most impactful when it happens frequently and consistently. If you are only connecting the dots during mid-year or annual performance reviews, you are wasting a valuable tool.
Organizational values in action
The second part of my search for clarity in organizational values was to find examples of those top five that provided context. Here’s the results:
Integrity
Google Protecting Users: Billions of people turn to Google every day for high-quality, reliable information and trusted experiences online. We take our responsibility seriously to uphold the integrity of our products and services and build user trust. Our terms of service, product policies, developer policies, and Community Guidelines exist to keep users safe as we strive to deliver on our mission.
St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital: Always recognize that advancing treatment for children with catastrophic diseases is at the center of everything we do. This is why we exist. It’s what we do.
Innovation
Apple: Business can and should be a force for good. Apple products are designed in California and built by people all over the world. We strive to uphold our high standards everywhere we operate, supporting the people and communities across our global supply chain, and working to protect the planet we all share.
The Nature Conservancy: We use the best available science, a creative spirit, and a non-confrontational approach to craft innovative solutions to complex conservation problems at scales that matter and in ways that will endure.
Collaboration
Bank of America: We believe great teams are built on mutual trust, shared ownership and accountability. We act as one company and believe that when we work together, we best meet the full needs of our clients and deliver value to our shareholders.
Boys and Girls Clubs of America: We work effectively within and across teams to accomplish our goals in support of the Mission and each other. We celebrate successes and continually learn and grow together.
Respect
Mayo Clinic: The needs of the patient come first. Treat everyone in our diverse community, including patients, their families and colleagues, with dignity.
Patagonia: Be just, equitable and antiracist as a company and in our community. We embrace the work necessary to create equity for historically marginalized people and reorder the priorities of an economic system that values short-term expansion over human well-being and thriving communities. We acknowledge painful histories; confront biases; change our policies; and hold each other accountable. We aspire to be a company where people from all backgrounds, identities and experiences can be their whole selves and have the power to contribute and lead.
Excellence
Amazon: Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.
University of Washington: We recruit the best, most diverse and innovative faculty and staff from around the world, encouraging a vibrant intellectual community for our students. We link academic excellence to cutting-edge research through scholarly exploration and intellectual rigor. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethics, as a beacon for our community and the world.
Each of these selected values provides a roadmap to embrace the conversation. Are you prepared to look at your organizational values and initiate deeper understanding?
I’d love to hear your thoughts or if you have other examples, please share! You can message me at shawn.smith546@outlook.com