Are core values really valued?

Integrity, Respect, Consistency, quality and so on… Are these the same set of core values adapted by your company? Really!! What a coincidence! Millions of companies have the similar ones.

And even then #Entrepreneurs do not dig out time to evaluate to know what the actual core values of their organization are.
 It’s kind of “In Vogue” to set values in company, so they all do it without realizing its worth, impact on culture and implementation.

Very often we get confused between the goals, culture and core values in an organization, there is an organization where one of the Core value was "Swiftness” and everyone accept the top Management actually was adhering to the values. But it didn't work that ways for too long, how could it? 

Core values are top to down approach (I read one article, where the author mentioned that in many Fortune companies, CEO’s one of the responsibility is to teach or coach on Values to their employees) or at least some walking the talk should have been there. Demands from team on Speedy results, but when it comes to Decisions/communications from Top Management everything used to get jammed.

 This is precisely why it started confusing all other employees also and they actually stopped believing in their CORE VALUES, as they saw that the implementation of these so called values is not there at all or its just conditional use of values - to corner an employee Management start singing the saga of Core Values, but when leadership team has to show, then response comes promptly – “Oh! We have so many things to take care of, why can’t we bend it “little” for ourselves”

And then this story is of another company where everything was totally centralized (as in every decision was taken by or with the involvement of the MD, who ideally should be involved in making only important and not day to day decisions).

One of their core values was ‘Ownership’  and this word was given a perspective for the company  “taking their own decisions and stand by it”. Such was the hypocrisy and how do you think employees working in such companies would ever respect their core values leave aside travel value along them?

One of my Mentor used to say, “to breathe the core values of the companies” and believe me we all used to do the same. The values became an integral part of our daily work that we hardly could get rid of them even after leaving that organisation. 

It is not just by designing the Mugs or diaries with the core values but also taking ownership of each decision or action taken keeping in mind the core value of the organisation. No matter how thorny the path may look initially but once foundation is laid by believing in them, they can bring back success and more success, and that’s how he started getting it done, by collaborative leadership and preparing the leadership team by walking the talk.

If we have to make the values successful then we have to take some real time actions, such as:

Define: what one word or a statement means for company needs to be defined, and let each person owns the definition by virtue of its implementation.

Be true: Yes, to have a set of intelligent core values the company has to be true to itself  or even if it is an “Aspiration Value” they can actually imbibe them in their culture by making it clear to the employees the difference between the two, so that their trust can be held and they also believe in the similar authentic set of values.

Just avoid situations where senior management says something else and the core values goes a separate way; All have to be persistent for their values.

Own it: Serious trouble starts in companies when the senior management or leaders of the companies do not own these set of core values. They pass it on as the work of employee relation or HR department, which is not true. HR can only help in proper communication, awareness, and ideas for implementation etc but the ownership of such things remains with the leadership Team/Core team only. 

They cannot pass the buck by saying that HR is responsible for maintenance and adherence to the core values. No, it’s completely unrealistic and so the authenticity of such values is just not on HR alone. In such cases its better not to have any core values for the companies than to have the wrong ones.

Breathe them: live them, read them, believe in them and as one of my Mentor used to say breathe them, which is what makes them successful. Do not compromise on the core values no matter what. Lead by example, if as a leader you own them and start showing each one of them in all the areas of work, your team members will surely do the same. If you have a core value such as “PROFESSIONALISM” make sure you show such an outlook in everything you do, no conciliation allowed which may mean decent attire, no gossips, no nonsense.

Measurement: Include it as a measurement tool: Though it may look very subjective to some, but categorizing Values as one of the parameters of performance assessment will surely make it.

If “INNOVATION” is your Core value adapt it everywhere, give incentives for any new innovation or creativity, and distribute rewards in order to build the trust of your people in these values. Do not cheat or deceive in the name of Values. If creating a learning culture is a belief, then open all doors for mentoring and coaching.

So go ahead, find out your core values and let your company be the proud owner of some Intelligent Core values.

more at http://www.citeman.com/14433-are-core-values-really-valued-in-companies.html#ixzz2kpAlqIFR