As we begin Part Two, you are ready to take the next step: applying the four principles of values-based leadership in a systematic way to help build a values-based organization. You can do this whether you are an entry-level team member, a midlevel manager, or a senior executive. Regardless of your job title or scope of responsibilities, your values will have an enormous impact—on a particular team, within a department or division, or throughout the entire organization. With an appreciation for the four principles, you are committed to letting what you stand for shine through in all your actions and interactions. In other words, you are a values-based leader.
Your ability to influence people, whether you are leading a team of two or running an organization of twenty thousand, depends significantly on their ability to appreciate your values. Your values as a leader should be so clearly understood that if you put three, five, twenty, or even one hundred members of your team together without you in the room, they would be able to explain what you stand for in consistent terms. The more they understand your values, the better they will relate to you and follow your lead.
Communicating your values also helps set the expectations for what behavior is acceptable and what is not acceptable. The clearer you are on this point, the better that people will understand whether their personal actions are consistent with the values you have set.
Where values do not exist or are not clearly communicated, a vacuum is created in which doubt, cynicism, and distrust can quickly take root. When team members don't understand the values of the leader, the relationship is limited. People do only what they are asked to do by virtue of the fact that someone is the boss. Creativity within the organization is stifled and information in the form of feedback is withheld. Moreover, should a serious problem arise—and the financial crisis of 2008–2009 provides ample examples—people do not feel empowered or appreciated enough to step up and tell the boss what is happening.
The problem is that values is one of those words that gets overused, and not in the sincerest manner. When I was a young manager, it had become very popular for companies to talk about mission statements and corporate values. One of the things I found interesting is that the statements were often either overly intellectual or totally watered down. Furthermore, as I compared the mission and values statements of different companies, many of them said virtually the same thing. How could the core values of an organization—the principles that (supposedly) governed the actions and behaviors of every single person from the CEO to the summer intern—be so generic? No wonder people became jaded.
When I was a midlevel manager, an acquaintance said to me one day, “Harry, I have to be honest with you. There are many organizations that do not have values. I can deal with that. What I cannot deal with is companies that say they have values and clearly don't. It's an insult to my intelligence.” His attitude precisely reflects the reaction within companies that give little more than lip service to values. It would be better not to bother at all.
Values are not bullet points on a corporate Web site or motivational phrases on a poster in the lunchroom. Values define what you stand for and must be lived 24/7. Without values, an organization lacks cohesion and purpose.
Values are homegrown. They must come from within the organization itself and be embraced by every single person—universally and consistently. Organizations can't just hire an outside consultant to put together a snazzy campaign meant to engage people. If values appear to be nothing more than fluff or an attempt to generate good PR (or, worse yet, completely false compared to what really goes on in the company), the organization loses all credibility.
When a boss does not have any discernible values, his team cannot relate meaningfully to him. Their relationship with him is based solely on the fact that he's the one in charge. When the boss asks his team members to do something, they do it simply because he is the boss. To the extent that the boss is reasonable and treats his team well, they will perform their roles and do their jobs, but that's as far as it goes. Because the boss has never made his team feel valuable beyond the assignments he gives them, the team members do not see how what they do relates to the entire organization. They do their jobs, one task at a time, without any ownership of the process or outcome.
Moreover, when his team members talk in their cubicles about problems on the horizon that might affect the team, the department, or the entire company, their number one concern is how the boss will react. Will he become agitated and engage in the blame game because he can't handle what's happening? Rather than brainstorming to come up with suggestions to pass on to the boss or his boss, the team members keep their heads down and try to stay out of the way.
At other times, when things are going well, the team will continue to do what the boss asks, but they don't seek out opportunities to connect with others beyond their team. Why should they? They have never been included in anything. The boss doesn't even brief them after his meetings with the “higher ups” in the company. Sometimes they wonder if the boss has ever told his superiors about anything they've done. But then again, they tell themselves, he's the boss. As long as their paychecks arrive every two weeks, they'll keep doing what he asks—no more, no less.
In contrast, a boss who is a values-based leader and follows the four principles acts in a completely different manner. Self-reflection increases his self-awareness. Balance encourages him to seek out different perspectives from all team members and to change his mind when appropriate in order to make the best possible decisions. With true self-confidence, he does not have to be right, and he easily shares credit with his team. Genuine humility allows him to connect with everyone because no one is more important than anyone else.
Working for a values-based leader motivates the team members not only to do their jobs but also to take ownership of their tasks and responsibilities. Knowing that the boss wants their feedback, they speak up, and not just when he asks for input. They are proud to be part of the team, knowing that no matter what the circumstance or situation, their boss is committed to doing the right thing—and so are they.
If values-based leadership can make that much of an impact on a small team, imagine what would happen within a department, a division, or the entire company. As I have seen throughout my career, values infuse the culture in a way that is not only life changing but game changing for the organization. Values-based leadership does not mean there won't be crises from time to time; there will be. By relying on values, however, leaders are able to discern which path to take, and communicate that plan to others.