We know as coaches that strategy built without a solid set of values and culture is usually rendered useless. Or as Peter Drucker put it,
It’s hard to walk into any organization and not see some version of mission, vision, and values posted on the wall, on brochures, or on business cards. That’s a really good thing to do– we get an impression of who that organization believes they are, how they think they are supposed to behave, and where they hope they are going.
As coaches, the questions we always ask are, how are they quite literally taking the mission, vision, and values off of the wall? Off the brochures and off the cards? How are they using it, deploying it, and building culture around it?
While mission (why an organization exists), and vision (where an organization is going) are important, more instrumental to overall organizational success are core values. Those few words should sum up what you do, should be more than minimum standards, should be non-negotiable, and should describe your culture. We find in our practice that it’s not that leaders and employees are not aligned with the values, but that they don’t know how to define or implement them.
Values are typically created during strategic planning sessions or sometimes (unfortunately!) as a part of a marketing campaign. And usually, that’s where they reside – part of a plan that is not used, part of a campaign that is over.
Core values should be more than just a minimum expectation for behavior. They should be values that are core to your organization, that you should guard, protect, and preserve at all costs. They should be agreed upon, understood, make you different, and you should be ready to walk away from business, people, and situations if they do not align with these values. This is easier said than done. That’s how our Core Values Rubric© comes in.
What is a rubric? I like this definition the best:
A rubric is a learning and assessment tool that articulates expectations by listing criteria, and for each criteria, describing levels of quality (Andrade, 2000; Arter & Chappuis, 2007). A rubric defines each value, asks self-reflection questions and has room for notes or needed actions.
Here is an example rubric along with a supporting process:
Organizations start by working on what their set of values should be through the strategic planning process. They then think about what differentiates them or their products, why they do the work that they do, and what two personal values they will not abandon – ever.
From their individual lists, they create a master list and from there a set of values for the organization. Finally, they define these values and create self-reflection questions for each.
It is always interesting to see how people define values and what self-reflection questions are created. Here are a couple of reflection questions from clients that gave me pause and made me think:
1. Honesty – Do I engage in “water-cooler talk” and avoid those I really should be talking to?
2. Respect for people – Do I view my colleagues as people or as levers in a process?
3. Humility - Am I open to admitting my shortcomings or do I deflect issues towards someone else?
We have observed organizations using these reflection questions as a way to end their day or reflect after a difficult situation or discussion. Some have even created family rubrics that they use as home with their children. It has been pretty amazing to see how these rubrics are used!
We have also seen hiring managers use the rubric as a hiring tool – asking the candidate to complete a rubric and bring it to the interview. Others use the rubric for performance reviews, recognition, and disciplinary discussions.
One of the best examples we’ve seen is the rubric being used in an elementary school with students picked to be values leaders.
Over the past 10 years, it has been a powerful way to deploy culture. And most have both formal and informal recognition of employees based upon their example of living the organizational values.
In today’s world, where loyalty is rare, hiring is difficult, and commitment is tough, your culture makes a difference.
People stay with organizations that align with their own personal values and have leaders that are good role models. Make sure that your organization has a process to bring your values to life so that they are not words that live in a dusty frame on your wall.
As a leader, talk about values, recognize others for living the values, and most important, make them the non-negotiable culture builder that they are meant to be.
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CASEY MACKERT is a Vice President at Strategic In/Sight Partners.
She regularly works with teams and organizations on strategy, team dynamics and work processes to achieve improved results.
Contact Casey at cmackert@strategicinsightpartners.com or 330.305.1229.
