Taking values off the “office wall” and putting them into action.

Some people consider my work on culture fluffy. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I help organizations transform.

Whether you’re assisting teams to articulate a vision or facilitating a program execution, you need a strong, clear culture to make transformation efforts successful. And your employees – who are, in essence, your internal brand will make or break the success of your work.

The internal brand delivers an organization’s product or service. Take care of the internal brand, and in turn, the internal brand will take care of the bottom line.

No fluff in that.

So what drives the internal brand? The same thing that drives us in our personal lives, a desire to make a difference, a sense of belonging and our beliefs. Organizations where these attributes are evident are always living their values.

All organizations have values. However, in many cases, even when the values are prominently displayed on computer screens, walls, and various swag accessories, only a few employees actually know what they mean.

If you asked a handful of people at different levels in your organization what one of your core values meant, you would likely hear very different answers. You may even hear a bit of skepticism in their responses.

Why? Well, ask yourself this.

  1. Are my company’s values grounded in a common set of beliefs, actions, or outcomes?
  2. Do we have clear and direct explanations of how everyone should act out these values in the roles they perform?

My clients have seen their most significant gains from focusing on culture, breaking down silos, increasing collaboration, and connecting teams to a higher purpose. This is all part of fueling the changing company and employee expectations. This rapid shift can make many feel overwhelmed, uneasy, even fearful about the future. Many questions surface, like: “Will my skills be relevant?”, “Will I have a job in the next three years?”, “Where exactly is my organization headed?”

When faced with these concerns, people start looking for the glue, some connection that will bind them to their company and peers inclusively and constructively, so that everyone can work together. Connecting individuals and teams to a common set of beliefs which drives the required behaviors can help, and many leaders have begun reviewing their values with this idea in mind.

Organizations with strong cultures live their values. The daily actions of every team member –  creating products, servicing customers, choosing technology, etc. – are performed through the lens of their values. And as these actions start to show results, they create stories that reflect value-oriented behavior and set good examples for everyone to follow.

Sounds easy, right?  Not really. Most of my clients get stuck here.

When values remain “on the wall” rather than in the work of teams, they lose power, becoming no more than faded wallpaper, collecting dust and triggering skepticism and disengagement from employees. Teams need to rally and contribute to work collectively. And by connecting values and the behaviors of teams, you create a connection where actions become natural and the contribution more powerful.

Sure, leadership must model the behaviors, but normalizing values requires a peer environment.  I saw this when I worked with Google last year. Peers kept each other accountable, and corrective actions came from employees, regardless of their place on the company ladder.

So how do you get the values off the wall and into action?

Step One

First and foremost, you must accept it as a mindset rather than a project. Embedding values into employee behaviors must happen both consistently and continuously.  If you treat it as a project, teams will burn out and think “When will this project finish?” Instead, treat it like a movement, igniting a vision and a set of leadership moves people will want to follow and mimic. Then they will learn to act and think “This is how we do things around here.”

Step Two

Set the context. Organizational values that lack context can become easily misinterpreted, so everybody needs to understand the values in similar ways. By shedding as much light as possible on the meaning of the value and the result it should create, you avoid inconsistency and confusion. One-word values contribute to this problem: trust, integrity, honesty. When giving context, provide deep details about the RESULTS that you expect. Emphasize what the values in practice look, feel, and sound like. Individuals need this clarity to properly react to situations. Eventually it will become second nature to them.

This prompts the question, “What happens when someone isn’t living the values?”

In the past, we always looked to leadership to take care of “teachable moments,” but now you can start to expect more peer-to-peer support – no more “the boss didn’t see, so it doesn’t matter” mentalities. No more “take it to management so they can handle it.” Peer feedback reduces fear and builds connections because you’re trying to help each other.

Individuals need to learn that they can address these issues themselves, rather than involving a third party, as long as they do so respectfully. “Hey, Lynette. That conversation sounded frustrating. What happened?”

Ideally, reviewing the situation with a peer will allow the person to understand the deviation from company values and reinforce value-oriented behaviors.

Step Three

Put your purpose and values front and center in everything you do, especially the hiring process.

In practice, if we break down the hiring and onboarding process into moments, putting values front and center could look like this:

  • Zero Moment: All job postings state the company’s values and use them as the basis of WHY someone would apply for these jobs. Candidates see from the very beginning the company lives its values.
  • First Moment: Throughout the interview, all the questions involve determining cultural fit, either directly or indirectly. Look for stories from candidates that give proof of living personal values and the fit with the values of your organization. The same goes for the candidate, this is their time to figure out if the company is a fit for them.
  • Second Moment: Successfully onboarding candidates should include showing the new employees how to connect the company’s values to their contributions in their roles. For example, I use Freshbooks, and one of their values states that “…by exceeding expectations, our products and services become extraordinary in the eyes of those we serve.” When you call customer support, a “Freshbooks Rockstar” answers the phone. Every call gets answered within a few rings by an enthusiastic representative ready to be of service.
  • Ultimate Moment: This describes what happens as your new hire begins working for you and living your values – they’re having a great time and promoting your organization as a great place to work. (I see Net Promoter Scores rising already!)

From your zero moment to your ultimate moment, you take your candidates through an experience that demonstrates how seriously you take your values and set your expectations.

Over the years, as my transformation practice has evolved, I’ve noticed a recurring theme in how teams accept change. If you want Better Work, you have to pull employees together and build trust and accountability on the back of a strong peer network. And your ability to do this hinges on two things: creating personal connections to the purpose of the organization and holding everyone accountable for living out the organization’s values.

Here’s to disrupting sameness and achieving Better Work!