Values: Organizational and Personal (Part 2) …

Last time we talked about the values of your organization …

Now, we’ll touch on personal values … and if your personal values match the values of your organization.

As a team at our Global Office in Las Vegas, we recently went through a training exercise on personal values, based on the following (7) values criteria:

1)   Social – How you value what society thinks of you … in addition to how you value friends and friendship
2)   Vocational – How you value what you do every day in your career and work
3)    Physical – How you value your overall heath … and whether you are fit/strong/beautiful enough
4)    Mental – How you value your personal development and education … do you know enough?
5)    Family – How you value your relationship with family … and what they think
6)   Financial – How you value how much money you have, investments, etc. … your overall wealth
7)   Spiritual – How you value what keeps you centered (i.e. … your religious and/or spiritual beliefs)

Our team ranked these individually, then we looked at how they compared “across the board” in our organization … and how personal values fit (or didn’t fit) with the values at ActionCOACH (and our 14 Points of Culture).

It was a very interesting session, and one that all the team got value from … mainly because it helped people in our organization better understand each other and where certain people place priorities.

What is my current ranking of my own values?

Here they are …

1)    Vocation
2)    Mental
3)    Wealth
4)    Society
5)    Family
6)    Physical
7)    Spiritual

Now for me, placing Vocation at the top means I have to be mindful that others in the organization may place more emphasis on Family or Spiritual.

What does that mean?

That I should realize if I asked someone who did rank those values highly to come in to work on a Saturday or Sunday, I would probably have team member who would start to resent the position and would eventually move on.

BUT …

It also works in reverse … and a team member who places a high value on the Physical in their life but who schedules triathlon training sessions during the workday is going to cause disruption and resentment in my world.

The bottom-line is that the more people are aware of the values that drive each other, the more open and cohesive a workplace and an organization can be.

Notice above that I mentioned I listed my “current” values.

I did this purposely … as values can (and do) change.

In most cases, most people are driven by their top two or three values.

So what causes values to change?

Usually a “life changing” experience is necessary to shift most values for most people, which can include a new job or position, a life threatening health scare, a marriage, a divorce or a death among family or friends.

Growing up, my Mental focus as far as education and getting the right training was probably higher than my Vocation values … and my Society values were also more prominent.

However, going to work full-time at a young age shifted this for me, and set my priorities at a different level.

Values (both organizational and personal) truly are key to understanding companies and your place in them … or even your place in your own company.

So … what your values?

Are they reflected in your current position?

In your current business?

If you are a business owner, can you create a culture where your personal values are reflected in your company values?

If so … why don’t you?

And … when are you going to start?

Jodie Shaw

Action Coaching: Values … Organizational and Personal (Part 1) …

What are the values of your organization?

Have you ever thought about an organization having values?

What about your personal values?

Do they fit with your work … or your organization?

It’s interesting, but our own team has been doing a lot of work lately on recognizing and identifying values … their own and others.

I believe it is important because ActionCOACH has its own set of guiding principles we use to run our business called our “14 Points of Culture.”

If you aren’t familiar with how “Points of Culture” might look … here’s ours:

ActionCOACH‘s 14 Points of Culture

1.    Commitment
I give myself and everything I commit to 100% until I succeed. I am committed to the Vision, Mission, Culture and success of ActionCOACH, its current and future team, and its clients at all times. I always recommend products and services of ActionCOACH prior to going outside the company.

2.    Ownership
I am truly responsible for my actions and outcomes and own everything that takes place in my work and my life. I am accountable for my results and I know that for things to change, first I must change.

3.    Integrity
I always speak the truth. What I promise is what I deliver. I only ever make agreements with myself and others that I am willing and intend to keep. I communicate potential broken agreements at the first opportunity and I clear up all broken agreements immediately.

4.    Excellence
Good enough isn’t. I always deliver products and services of exceptional quality that add value to all involved for the long term. I look for ways to do more with less and stay on a path of constant and never ending improvement and innovation.

5.    Communication
I speak positively of my fellow team members, my clients and ActionCOACH in both public and private. I speak with good purpose using empowering and positive conversation. I never use or listen to sarcasm or gossip. I acknowledge what is being said as true for the speaker at that moment and I take responsibility for responses to my communication. I greet and farewell people using their name. I always apologize for any upsets first and then look for a solution. I only ever discuss concerns in private with the person involved.

6.    Success
I totally focus my thoughts, energy and attention on the successful outcome of whatever I am doing. I am willing to win and allow others to win: Win/Win. At all times, I display my inner pride, prosperity, competence and personal confidence. I am a successful person.

7.    Education
I learn from my mistakes. I consistently learn, grow and master so that I can help my fellow team members and clients learn, grow and master too. I am an educator and allow my clients to make their own intelligent decisions about their future remembering that it is their future. I impart practical and useable knowledge rather than just theory.

8.    Team Work
I am a team player and team leader. I do whatever it takes to stay together and achieve team goals. I focus on co-operation and always come to a resolution, not a compromise. I am flexible in my work and able to change if what I’m doing is not working. I ask for help when I need it and I am compassionate to others who ask me.

9.    Balance
I have a balanced approach to life, remembering that my spiritual, social, physical and family aspects are just as important as my financial and intellectual. I complete my work and my most important tasks first, so I can have quality time to myself, with my family and also to renew.

10.    Fun
I view my life as a journey to be enjoyed and appreciated and I create an atmosphere of fun and happiness so all around me enjoy it as well.

11.    Systems
I always look to the system for a solution. If a challenge arises I use a system correction before I look for a people correction. I use a system solution in my innovation rather than a people solution. I follow the system exactly until a new system is introduced. I suggest system improvements at my first opportunity.

12.    Consistency
I am consistent in my actions so my clients and team mates can feel comfortable in dealing with me at all times. I am disciplined in my work so my results, growth and success are consistent.

13.    Gratitude
I am a truly grateful person. I say thank you and show appreciation often and in many ways, so that all around me know how much I appreciate everything and everyone I have in my life. I celebrate my wins and the wins of my clients, and team. I consistently catch myself and other people doing things right…

14.    Abundance
I am an abundant person, I deserve my abundance and I am easily able to both give and receive it. I allow abundance in all areas of my life by respecting my own self worth and that of all others. I am rewarded to the level that I create abundance for others and I accept that abundance only shows up in my life to the level at which I show up.

At ActionCOACH … our Points of Culture are our guiding principles and provide context and direction for our company and our team.

When we recruit, our process is really a “de-selection” program … and it’s mainly a de-selection process on the part of the candidate.

Why?

Many people simply don’t want to be part of a company run according to a set of guiding principles.

Sometimes, other people may say they want to be part of a “principles-driven” company … but quickly discover working in a “principles-oriented” environment becomes extremely difficult – for them.

Why?

Because in truth, their own personal values are at odds with the overall values of our organization.

There’s nothing wrong with that … it’s just that those people tend to move on to other endeavours because they don’t feel our company is a good fit for them.

Now, is this type of system “perfect”?

No.

No system is.

But it does gives us a base to gauge our overall performance as an organization and also gives us and our team a way to hold people in our organization (and each other) accountable.

Because if you don’t have a company culture … a culture will develop … and the chances are very low that culture will “automatically” reflect the true values of an owner.

So how do personal values affect or influence a company’s values?

We’ll look at that in an upcoming post …

Jodie Shaw