A while back, Michael Hyatt shared a list of interview questions about leadership. These questions got me thinking. I’ll be sharing my thoughts in a series of posts here on my blog.
How do you or other leaders in your organization communicate the “core values”?
The way you communicate values to an organization must be intentional. It must be deliberate, but, more importantly, it must be based on action, not words. There are two primary ways to communicate values and to spread them within your organization.
The first is to lead by example. If you don’t live your values, if those closest to you don’t live your values, then they’re not your values. Values are all about valuing it regardless of the impact, regardless of the situation.
Nobody expects you to be perfect, but they do expect you to be genuine. You must live your values, and when you don’t you must admit it. You must acknowledge that you failed. You must share and ask for forgiveness from the organization.
The second way to communicate and to live your values is to reward and recognize based off of values. A lot of people are rewarded and recognized based on getting things done, on a phenomenal effort, or on a brilliant idea. This is great. But it should not create a shadow over the values of the organization.
Do you recognize those people that live your values? That show them and demonstrate them consistently? Lift those people up! Put them on a pedestal as an example for others to see. Recognize them publicly. Reward them and thank them for what they are doing.
By clearly living your values and holding up others as examples who live your values, your values will spread like wildfire throughout your organization.
How do you or other leaders in your organization communicate the “core values?”