You may proclaim a value of treating colleagues with love and respect. So what do you do about a staff member who consistently runs over others but always “gets things done”? When you ask him to “try to be nicer” but take no further action, you’ve shown that you value output more than the golden rule.
You encourage creativity and risk-taking. Then when someone’s new initiative falls flat, you reprimand the staff member who led the charge. You’ve shown that a conservative approach that produces predictable results is your true value.
You talk about the importance of accountability, but you give a staff member a second (then a third and fourth and fifth) chance when she misses an important deliverable. The higher value in your culture may be grace (or avoiding conflict).
Please don’t hear what I am not saying. I am not suggesting that one value is “better” than the other in any of these examples. I am, however, saying that it causes confusion and frustration for your staff if the stated values don’t match your actual practices.
If you’re not sure what your true values are, here’s a simple way to start to identify them. Think about some of your recent difficult decisions, especially the ones related to personnel (hiring, promotion, reprimand, second chances, termination). What drove those decisions? What apparent values were in conflict and which one trumped the others? Do you like the answer? If not, it’s time to have a conversation about how to change your values.]]>
Mike
