Evaluating Values
Organizations identify organizational values. We are told it is an important part of building a business and almost every business book recommends it. However, most organizations are not sure how to turn them into action. They pick the words they want their people to live by - Integrity. Ownership. Innovation. They hang them up on the wall. They place on on their “About Us” web page. They may gather the whole company together to roll them out; “These are our company values. Now live by them.” And no one will argue because these words are beautiful and important words. No one will say empowerment isn't something that should be strived for. And when everything is going well, no one questions the values selected. It is easy to be transparent when you have all the answers and the company is in a financially strong spot. It is natural to be respectful when everyone is in a good mood. It is simple to collaborate when everyone has the time to brainstorm and try new ideas. It is when life gets a little challenging that those fancy values get a little more difficult to use. And that is when our values matters most.
Values are our decision making criteria. Our mission is our why. Our vision is our what. Our values are our how.
The values we select to put on our walls are meant to support us through challenging times. When we have to make a decision, our values should dictate how we make a decision and how we execute on the decision we made. During this unique COVID-19 pandemic, businesses (and individuals) will need to make hard choices. There are many examples of businesses who have already made layoff choices and others who are making serious decisions about limiting their client base during this time (our dog eye doctor is only seeing what they deem as “emergency” appointments). The NCAA tournament were canceled. Conferences across the world have been shut down. Delta is taking extra cleaning precautions.
Times like this can illuminate if the values we hang on the wall are the ones we truly care about or if they are aspirational values we wish represented our business.
Amidst this crisis, we have a leadership opportunity to reflect on the decisions you, your team, and the company have made during this challenging time. Below are some questions you can use as a self-reflection opportunity, a leadership discussion, or an exercise with your team. You can download a PDF of this exercise here.
Which organizational values have you seen leveraged during this time? Where have you seen it used?
Which organizational value has been ignored during this time? Where did we miss the opportunity to use it?
Which organizational value do we need to leverage? Where do you see us employing that value moving forward?
What values are we using that are not listed on our organizational values list?
Are there organizational values you are wrestling with using during this time? What impact do they have on the outcomes you desire?
It is times of challenge that present a chance for us to determine if and how we leverage the values we have identified to be important. Use this time to be intentional about the decisions you choose to make and reflective about those decisions and the impact they had on our people, our business, and our world.
