MODERN LEADERSHIP
with clear , tangible , observable and measurable behavioural standards .
• What does living this value look like in practice ?
• How do we know when we ’ ve violated the value ?
• How do we know when to correct course , and even what to fix ?
Only by knowing the specific behaviour attached to those values – and ensuring this is understood across the organisation - can we hold people accountable for these values . When researching The Mindful Leader , I looked closely at how leaders that truly live in their values not only reported much higher rates of team engagement and effectiveness , but also experienced a greater sense of wellbeing in their personal lives .
3Create an Agreed Story
Around the Values In order for leaders to bring values to life and provide context , there
must be a shared story around each stated value and behavioural standard . By this , I don ’ t mean a written story – rather , one that ’ s embodied in the words and actions of the leadership and , by default , the organisation at large . Here ’ s how we played this out for one of my clients , around their value of ‘ Integrity ’:
Value : Integrity Behavioural Standard : We follow through on commitments . Shared Story : Whatever we commit to - be it a new behaviour or a project deadline - we must take it extremely seriously and deliver , with no excuses . If we know we won ’ t be able to deliver , we need to have credible reasons and be proactive in communicating those reasons before any commitments are experienced as being broken .
Your organisation will have its own values , standards and stories - but following this pattern will give your values a ‘ sticky ’ factor that will immediately make them more vibrant and memorable .
4Consistently Talk About Your Values and Hold People Accountable to Them Once you ’ ve established your values , talk about them regularly and demonstrate to people that you ’ re serious about them . Acknowledge people who live these values in their behaviour and use them as a shining example that shows others in your organisation “ this is what it looks like to live our values !” Hold people accountable for these values uncompromisingly ; the minute you compromise them or allow others to , your team or organisation will become cynical about them .
Bringing Company Values to Life : A Case Study One of my clients does an amazing job of bringing their values to life , which is a primary reason why they won the Aon Hewitt Best of the Best Employer Award in 2011 , and Best Employer every year since . Here are some of the ways this remarkable organisation makes its values a daily part of the business . Firstly , they check how well candidates align with their core organisational values in the recruitment phase , by asking specific questions such as “ What are your personal values ?”. Once hired , an induction process instils the company values and their meaning , covering in-depth insights like a results / values matrix showing it ’ s not okay to get great results while violating these values , and vice versa .
Ongoing values work includes periodic team camps , performance reviews ( in which the values are
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