Making Your Values Real

Values statements, mission statements, vision statements  –  are all what I like to refer to as wall art. They look great on the wall and generally mean as much to your organization as that print you picked up from Hobby Lobby (though I do really love some of the prints they have there).  In all honesty, do those statements truly represent what your organization stands for and puts into practice?

Hypocrite: Merriam-Webster defines hypocrite as a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion, or a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.

If we claim values that we do not uphold we, unfortunately, meet the above definition.

I’ve always hated the word hypocrite. Just the mention of it makes my skin crawl. I think it is because I grew up in the church and have always defined myself as a Christian, but for many years my actions did not match the label I gave myself. I was a hypocrite. That’s a label I don’t ever want to wear again.

No one's perfect, that's why pencils have erasers.

Thankfully, avoiding hypocrisy does not require perfection, but it does require transparency. Being wrong or missing the mark is not the problem. Not admitting you missed it is what leads to hypocrisy. Today’s digitally connected world is more transparent than ever and that transparency can be our greatest tool in the fight against hypocrisy.

Just look at the paparazzi that follow the rich and famous and notice how long it takes for a good story to get around the globe. You may not be rich and famous, but people are watching you. Young people that look up to you, your neighbors, your co-workers, your children and your spouse are all watching and hoping that you won’t disappoint them.

How can you ensure that you uphold the values that you and your organization claim? The first step is to communicate your values.

  1. State Your Values – State them clearly and plainly. Use examples. Leave as little as possible to interpretation.

  2. Make Your Values Visible – Yes, wall art. On your website too. Keeping your values in front of you and your people makes everyone in your organization that much more likely to follow them. Note: there are plenty of organizations out there with their values pasted everywhere that do not follow them. Understand that this is just a fact of life. There will always be people and organizations that do not do what they say. Do not let your fear of being like these poor examples deter you from making your values visible. Making values visible is a key step in building the integrity of your organization. The difference between you and these other organizations is that you will follow through and stay true to your values.

  3. Talk About Your Values – Try talking about a value at every team meeting. Give great examples of employees stepping up to meet the value and also examples of where employees missed the mark. Everyone in your organization, including you, will miss it from time to time. This is fine as long as everyone is willing to admit their mistakes and learn from them. Best case is to have someone tell about when they missed it, how the missed it and what they’ve learned.

  4. Be Held Accountable – Ask your co-workers and those who work for you to hold you accountable to your values. Make this accountability measurable and visible to everyone in your organization. Few are brave enough to take this last step, but if you are, it will make a tremendous difference in your organization.

Clear communication of your values is the first step in living out your values as an organization. Next week we’ll talk about how to get the right people on your organizational bus by hiring according to your values.

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Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/beccapeterson/5448851027/.

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