a way, gratitude is the ultimate marker of humility. I’ve heard it said that EGO stands for “Edging God Out.” Being grateful is a way of acknowledging that our gifts come from a Higher Power—and even those who aren’t religious in the traditional sense will benefit from acknowledging that they aren’t the source of all good things.
Leading with humility is not easy. It actually requires more self-assuredness and confidence than leading with arrogance and ego. We owe it to ourselves and others to do the work to develop this inner strength. When we do, we won’t need the external reinforcement that leads us to put on a show and seek accolades. We’ll be the kind of leader that others trust and follow.
5 Let Values Be Your Guide
Roy E. Disney was quoted as saying, “It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” To me this quote sums up why every leader must have a deep understanding of their company’s values, commit to live by them, and convey them to employees. Every day leaders and employees make one decision after another on behalf of the company. Something needs to guide those decisions. That “something” is values. They are your company’s compass.
Values tell everyone how to behave—what to do, what not to do, and where the boundaries are. When everyone clearly understands and agrees to live by a set of values, it pushes decision making downward. Employees know what the rules are. Everyone speaks to customers in a unified voice. All of this promotes alignment and consistency. In the end, the company enjoys better performance.
In his book Built to Last, Jim Collins examined companies that last a long time compared with those that do not. The research showed that values play a critical role in organizations that are able to attain and sustain success.
Values go a long way toward shaping and sustaining a strong company culture. They have a major influence on a person’s behavior and attitude and serve as broad guidelines in all situations. I have found that once an outcome or behavior is connected to values, a person will follow through even if it makes them uncomfortable. After doing the behavior for a while, what was uncomfortable becomes comfortable.
For example, let’s say an employee left it to the last minute to order material and had to pay extra shipping, or did not take the time to research the most cost-effective product or material and ended up spending more than needed. A value of the company is financial stewardship, and you explain that not using resources as well as possible puts the company at risk. When the employee hears it explained this way, they will plan more carefully in the future.
It is a leader’s job to hardwire a strong set of values into the organization. Here’s how:
1 If you already have a strong set of company values, ask yourself how well you are communicating these and connecting staff actions to them. Review them, make sure you they are current, and if need be, revise them. (See Chapter 30 to learn more about how values work in conjunction with mission and vision.) Be aware that while most companies do have written values, often in employee surveys the question “my company lives the values” is rated low. The idea is not merely to have them “posted” but to repeat and refer to them often enough that people integrate them into their own value system. As I once heard someone say, values don’t just hang on the walls, they walk in the halls.
2 If you do not have a strong set of written values, create them. Go online and look up “workplace values” and you will find many lists of example values. See which five or six best fit your department or company. Here are a few examples of some common corporate values and how leaders might live them:
Transparent
Communicate what is going on, especially with sensitive or controversial topics.
Narrate the “why” behind decisions. When people understand why, they are more likely to agree.
Live by the sunshine rule: keep everything out in the open, even if it’s not popular.
Don’t have a meeting before the meeting.
Innovative
Have a system for collecting fresh ideas. Ask people to share, and really listen to them. (Maybe ask people to contribute a new idea every month.)
Reward and recognize people who engage in the innovative process.
Be open and willing to change and progress.
Don’t demonize failure.
Focused
Plan the work and work the plan.
Pick a few things that will make a difference and commit to doing them really well.
Don’t get distracted by every shiny ball that rolls by.
Put all of your attention and resources behind the projects you can really impact.
Resourceful
Creatively look at the resources you have access to and use them in the most productive way possible.
Tap in to resources that might usually go overlooked.
This might mean identifying new resources you didn’t realize you had, or thinking differently about the resources already available.
Team-Oriented
Be a “bridge builder”: actively look for ways to connect with other stakeholders.
Create opportunities to help each other make things better for everyone.
Coordination between many moving parts.
Groups at every level working toward a shared vision or end point. Find projects they can partner on.
Accountable
Do what you’re supposed to be doing, when you’re supposed to be doing it.
Make judicious decisions that weigh all factors.
Set reasonable goals that everyone agrees on, and enforce them.
Meet deadlines and make sure others do, too.
1 Write the values down and make sure people know what they mean. Operationalize them so that people know what right looks like. Let’s take the last example from list above— accountable—and bring it to life. Here’s how employees might live this value:Do what you say you’re going to do. If you’re not sure you can do it, don’t promise it. Overpromising and overcommitting ensures that you’ll drop the ball at some point.Keep your appointments. Everyone has to reschedule sometimes, but make it the exception, not the rule.Be on time for work and for appointments. In fact, strive to be a few minutes early.Be
