31 May Do this ONE thing to anchor your business during COVID-19
Speaking to one of my inspirational clients, Darren Stringer at https://us.wicresoft.com/, he shared how instrumental the company values had been in navigating this challenging time.
“Whilst no doubt every business is rallying in some way shape or form, rallying around a common vision and common values has made our lives easier.”
Darren Stringer, Managing Director, Wicresoft UK
The ONE thing that thriving companies have in common is that they know what they value and they stick to their values. In the good times and bad. They LIVE, BREATH, AND ARE their values.
Everything they do comes back to their values (could I say the word values any more times.) Every decision, every action. Articulating, embedding and living your values is the key to creating a connected, inspired and engaged work force.
Whether we’re talking about the current Covid-19-related lockdown or simply looking for ways to make our businesses more sustainable and stronger, using our values as an anchor is always a good idea.
Why are values so important in business?
Your values are the rules that you live by. They’re the grounding that your behaviour is based. Values are what make every organisation different, at the very core.
During time such as these, each organisation (and therefore the people who lead them) will be remembered for how they treated their people. Whether they expected them to carry on as normal, or changes and allowances in working routines were encouraged to enable staff members to remain at work, but feel safe and valued.
There are countless stories of large organisations abandoning their staff in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown announcement, leaving thousands financially unsure in a time of enormous stress and change. And then there are the Covid-19 hero organisations who have taken the opportunity to seek new direction, offer help and advice and ensure their team members are looked after, safe and secure.
This really is a time of extremes.
I believe, those who will come out of this crisis with strong, loyal, happy workforces, are those who have strong, sound values and have stuck by them, even in their darkest moments.
How to stick by your values, even in a crisis
If you’ve already done the hard work of establishing company values, now is the time to stick to them. Like glue. Uphold your beliefs that your staff members are the most important asset your company has. Stand by your commitment to keeping staff happy and healthy.
Engage with your teams, even if they’ve had to be furloughed.
“It’s all about checking in, not checking up.”
Demonstrate your faith in them by trusting that they’re doing what they need to, to keep your company functioning, but make sure they’re coping OK with the additional stresses and strains introduced by lockdown. Whether they’re isolating alone or are safe at home with their school-aged children and partner. Everyone’s challenges at this time will be different.
Engage, listen and react.
Check, at every turn, that your decisions are in full alignment with your values. Live them. Breathe them.
Using your values as an anchor
Darren Stringer and his team at Wicresoft have been a client of Ambient Tribe’s since 2018 when we worked to establish the company mission, vision and values. His company, Brighter Connections, has recently been acquired by Wicresoft UK and Darren expressed that the vision and values had helped during the evolution from one company to another, as their values already aligned. Here’s what he had to say about using his values during the Covid-19 crisis:
“In these challenging times, it has been very reassuring and helpful to provide our team and those with whom we rely upon and support, the ability to anchor around this important dimension of our culture and forward motion. I am sure it will continue that way as we navigate through this chapter in our personal and professional lives.”
Darren Stringer, Managing Director, Wicresoft UK
Check out our blog post from 2019 about taking control of your values for more information on this subject.
If you’d like to discuss your values and how you could use them as an anchor through uncertain times, drop us a line: [email protected]
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