31 Aug 1 Simple Technique to Embed your Values
Leaders often say to me “Our team just doesn’t live our values, they’re just not doing enough”.
Here’s the thing. Your team will focus on what you consistently focus on. If that’s more and faster sales – that will drive the culture. If it’s employee well-being – that will drive the culture. If it’s ‘the customer is always right’ – that will drive the culture. You see where I’m going with this. They take your lead.
So if the ‘how’ people do business matters to your organizational success, you’ve got to be able to articulate your values and the behaviors that they lead to. And then talk about them. A lot.
There is so much you can do to embed your values across your processes, but fundamentally, if you’re not talking about your values consistently, your team isn’t going to bother focussing on them. This has to come from YOU.
One simple (but not always easy) technique to try today – BEAT THE VALUES DRUM
Your team needs to hear the words, and the language of your values consistently in everyday business. Not just in a quarterly review or at the team awards. Every. Single. Day.
Check in with the values at the end of every meeting.
Before you wrap up your next internal meeting ask the participants – have we lived our values in this meeting? Ideally, focus on a specific value that is relevant to the meeting topic to really get people thinking.
One inspiring technology company I work with has ‘Find a Way’ as a value. This value is all about problem-solving, going the extra mile for a customer, and not resting until we’ve ‘found a way’.
The MD would finish every single meeting he held by referencing the values. “Have we lived our values in this discussion?” “Have we ‘found a way’? “Could we have done more?” By regularly referencing and checking in with the “Find a Way”, that phrase became regularly used across the whole business. It empowered people to think creatively, take ownership of problem-solving, and not rest on their laurels.
It might not feel glamorous or exciting, but BEATING THE ‘VALUES’ DRUM every day is the most surefire way of embedding your values.
And the best thing…it costs nothing other than your focus and conscientiousness. And once that ball is rolling, it will reverberate across the business.
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