Why Leaders Still Don't Understand Values
May 22, 2024
I still hear leaders say this today...
"I wish my people would think for themselves"
Then I ask them what tools and support do they give their teams to learn to think for themselves. And I get...
"When they come to me with a problem, I tell them to come back with a solution."
Ok, that's a start. What tools do they have to hep them think for themselves? And I get...
"We have values for them to use.
That's great! Show me your values then.
And this is where it starts to unravel...the answer is self-evident.
Virtually every values statement I read are all structured the same...
(Insert whatever the Value is)
And you know we do, because we do this, we do this and we do this...
I hear you.
"But Dave, what is wrong with this format? Aren't are values there to help our team understand what behaviours we are looking for?"
Firstly, these are word salads, not effective tools to help your team make smarter decisions. Secondly, they are probably crafted by some branding guru who is great at brand but doesn't understand culture. And, lastly, the most important reason is simply this...
You are telling your team what to think!
You aren't teaching them how to think!
Let me say this very loud and clear:
YOUR VALUES ARE THE UNIQUE THINKING OF YOUR COMPANY
YOU VALUES ARE THE GUARDIANS OF YOUR PURPOSE
YOUR VALUES ARE THERE TO TEACH YOUR TEAM HOW TO THINK AROUND HERE, NOT WHAT TO THINK
CULTURE IS HOW WE THINK AND FEEL
Your values should come with a definition, a sentence, or a statement of 5 words or less that helps the team member understand what the value means...not what it looks like.
At Circle Leadership our team know HOW WE THINK and that drives the right behaviour. Our values are as follows:
SIMPLICITY - Freedom from complexity
INSIGHT - Anticipate and act in advance
WISDOM - Learn from experience
CLARITY - a profound understanding
RELEVANCE - Connected to what matters
CARING - Loyal and compassionate
We don't need to tell our team what to think.
It's time to lead different.
Together we can...
#EvolveTheWorldOfWork
Dave Clare, Chief Evolution Officer
WEEKLY CLARISM
“You can’t take a new way of thinking and put it into an old way of doing and expect it to work.” - a Clarism
Please see above...you get the point.