Values As A Window Into Your Organization
/The Importance of Clearly Defined Values for Your Team
To explain the importance of having clearly defined values for your team, I’d like to invite you to imagine walking down the street of your downtown and looking at each of the store and restaurant windows as you pass. What does each window tell you about the service and atmosphere you would experience if you stepped in?
Imagine you first come across a dollar store, disheveled, brightly lit and piled high and tight with mostly low-priced household items and children’s trinkets. By simply walking by you build an impression of efficiency, affordability, and a no-frills approach. Next is the furniture store with a warm, smoky look, displaying wood, leather, and glass furniture. You might anticipate a more personalized shopping experience, where staff are eager to assist and provide detailed product and builder information. Then there is a ladies' clothing store that has a bright, airy feel and tall, slim mannequins displaying summer dresses and formal wear. You likely would expect attentive service, with staff ready to help customers find the perfect, potentially bespoke outfit.
Whether you are an interested customer or not, as you walk by and each window shares the store's identity, your mind is busy evaluating a wealth of information and reaching conclusions about each stores values and brand promise. Just from these store windows and a quick glance, you build a set of expectations including how you would be greeted if you were to step inside, and if you would experience personalized one-on-one service or be left alone to gather any items you want and use self-checkout… or something in-between.
Just as these stores use their windows to intentionally set expectations, your organization’s values shape the culture, behaviour, innovation and expectations within your team or organization… whether you use your values intentionally or not.
When values are clearly and intentionally defined, fully understood and embraced by your team, they will guide decision-making processes towards your strategic goals and influence how team members interact with each other, with suppliers and with clients. Your shared values quickly communicate what your team stands for, how you operate, and what kind of experience anybody and everybody should expect. Your team or organization values also help attract like-minded individuals who share the same principles.
How does a leader or organization develop core values?
The following is a quick summary of some of the important steps you will want to consider when planning to define - or review your team or organization core values:
Set aside time for this project and plan to get as much participation as possible. Consider including the voices of suppliers and customers. Also consider using a S.M.A.R.T. (specific or simple, measurable, assignable or attainable, realistic, and time-bound) goals framework. And, expect this project to take weeks – perhaps months.
Initially, introduce the project to your executive team. You want to get their input and empower them to speak with / introduce the project to their teams.
If you have a large team, break your team into smaller groups to encourage everyone’s participation to brainstorm potential values and why / how they are important.
Ask everyone to share why / how these values are important and what they mean to them / their work. (If possible, I like to take a week or two and then do steps 3 and 4 again to hear what additional recommendations of what value and why they would be important.)
Create a document outlining these values, but more importantly, use these values to guide behaviour and decision making.
Reevaluate your values regularly.
Conclusion
Values create a strong team and organizational identity… a reputation. Don’t underestimate the importance of investing the time to develop these values with your team and then actively use and promote them to continuously support your culture, innovation, brand promise and strategic goals.
Thank you for reading our ‘Values As A Window Into Your Organization’. I look forward to hearing from you if you have any questions or if you would like to discuss how you can move ahead and intentionally define your values and plan how to use them to support your organization, your team and your clients.
Bruce
Other articles in this series include:
About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.
Bruce is Corporate Trainer, Keynote Speaker and Executive Coach.
Bruce Mayhew Consulting specializes in customized Difficult Conversations, Crucial Conversations or Conflict Management Training, Email Etiquette Training, Leadership & New Leadership Development, Generational Differences, Time Management Training and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.
Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.
