What does your organization value? Is it posted on the wall somewhere? Do you have to go look it up?
When we go through the exercise of writing organizational values, we roll them out to the rest of the organization by placing them on the walls where people will see them. And, then we forget about them and they become wallpaper. What a shame to go to the effort of defining what you believe in and how you will act only to have them relegated to wallpaper sayings!
If you want your values to become truth you have to live them. You have to talk about them. You have to measure what makes them real in your organization. Your values can become more than your slogan. They can become a source of pride for the employees. Your values set you apart from other organizations because they become who you are to the world. Follow these tips for higher visibility and alignment with performance in your organization.
1. Talk about the values in all-employee meetings. Relate the pertinent values to what you are reporting on at the meeting. Tell how you were able to achieve your goals because people are living those values. Give specific stories so people know what you are looking for as good behaviors.
2. Talk about pertinent values in staff or committee meetings. Relate what you are working on to carrying out the organizational values. Make sure that you aren't doing things that would be against the values. For example, if you have a value for high customer service while you are cutting services, discuss how you will maintain high customer satisfaction by giving the best possible service with the options you have.
3. As a top management professional, make sure that the decisions you make for the health and welfare of the organization are aligned with the organizational values. If it looks like the top management takes actions that don't align with the values, the employees will be quick to dismiss the values as unimportant and irrelevant.
4. Consider measuring how employees carry out their duties in line with the values by putting them on your performance appraisal form. You only need to grade it yes or no, but by having it on the form, you increase the visibility and accountability for taking the values seriously. You also get to recognize and reward those who are leading the way by living the values.
5. Values are important guides to behavior. People are more likely to follow values that are aligned with their personal values. Help people own the organizational values by talking about how they see the values applied to their jobs and the way they contribute to the organization's success.
When we go through the exercise of writing organizational values, we roll them out to the rest of the organization by placing them on the walls where people will see them. And, then we forget about them and they become wallpaper. What a shame to go to the effort of defining what you believe in and how you will act only to have them relegated to wallpaper sayings!
If you want your values to become truth you have to live them. You have to talk about them. You have to measure what makes them real in your organization. Your values can become more than your slogan. They can become a source of pride for the employees. Your values set you apart from other organizations because they become who you are to the world. Follow these tips for higher visibility and alignment with performance in your organization.
1. Talk about the values in all-employee meetings. Relate the pertinent values to what you are reporting on at the meeting. Tell how you were able to achieve your goals because people are living those values. Give specific stories so people know what you are looking for as good behaviors.
2. Talk about pertinent values in staff or committee meetings. Relate what you are working on to carrying out the organizational values. Make sure that you aren't doing things that would be against the values. For example, if you have a value for high customer service while you are cutting services, discuss how you will maintain high customer satisfaction by giving the best possible service with the options you have.
3. As a top management professional, make sure that the decisions you make for the health and welfare of the organization are aligned with the organizational values. If it looks like the top management takes actions that don't align with the values, the employees will be quick to dismiss the values as unimportant and irrelevant.
4. Consider measuring how employees carry out their duties in line with the values by putting them on your performance appraisal form. You only need to grade it yes or no, but by having it on the form, you increase the visibility and accountability for taking the values seriously. You also get to recognize and reward those who are leading the way by living the values.
5. Values are important guides to behavior. People are more likely to follow values that are aligned with their personal values. Help people own the organizational values by talking about how they see the values applied to their jobs and the way they contribute to the organization's success.
Thanks to Vicki Anderson Resources
