“My definition of success: When your core values and self-concept are in harmony with your daily actions and behaviors.” — John Spence.
Core Values unite and activate a team. They are like the glue that holds us together. They are a filter that every single decision of our lives both personally and in our organizations should be filtered through. Every one of us experiences problematic situations. During those times values hold us together.
Take for instance, a marriage. It’s simple for a husband and wife to remain united when they are first in love and their life is uncomplicated. I refer to this as the “honeymoon phase”. But sooner or later the base that brought them together starts to shake and troubles appear. It’s the couple’s values that keep the couple together during the trying times. Their values are more stable than their changeable feelings. They find that their marriage is so important to them, that they strive for its success. It’s this type of attitude that produces strong marriages!
That’s equally true for our teams. Our team members need to know what their values are – and always act in accordance with them – so that their potential as a team is maximized, even through the adversities they will face. To function together and to flourish, every team needs solidity. Values serve as that solid, foundational base!
As a leader, you are accountable for maintaining the values. This is true in our organizations, and in our personal lives as well. As you are setting the guide, follow these steps:
- Understand what the values are.
- Model the values every single day.
- Constantly convey the values to your people
- Praise the ones who exhibit the values.
Understand that the procedure of setting core values takes time. It can be difficult to align all the team members with the organization’s values. However, working to become a better leader will make the process easier!
Homework to get the process started — Start jotting down some notes on the things that are the most important to you. If you are a person of value and character(which I’ll go ahead and assume based on you taking the time to read this blog that you are), you already have some sort of Core Values. They are just not written out and in plain sight for you to constantly visualize and also for your team members or family to see every day! Remember, what gets written and measured gets done! This couldn’t be more true for your foundational values!