We should all be so lucky to have our own Jiminy Cricket, chirping from our coat pocket to guide us with a mission and values. Having a clear voice that steers us in the right direction can be incredibly helpful in making major life decisions. That little voice becomes that much more important when you are a leader in your community.
How do we communicate our organization’s inherent values in a way that the rest of the community can understand? How do we ensure that everyone knows these guiding principles well enough when it comes time to employ them in the decision-making process? We can’t hope for an army of mini Jiminy Cricket helpers in instances like this. We need to be intentional in our own communication and be sure that our mission and our vision are at the heart of every move our organization makes.
As a City Manager, I have seen the benefits that organizations experience when they lead with clear values and principles. I have also seen what happens in their absence. Individual team members fill the void left behind with their own values. Even when your teams are not intentionally seeking to be destructive, they may still be acting on values that do not represent your vision and goals. Instances like this require transparency and clear communication. There are a few things you can do as an organizational leader that will help to replace this void with specific, well-placed values.
When you set your organizational values, you need start by considering the following:
- What values drive your team?
- Which values need to remain in place?
- Which values can you weed out?
- What new values do you want to add to the culture of the organization?
It is not enough to speculate about the answers in isolation. Your best course of action would be to survey your teams, ideally in person. Collating their responses should give you a clear picture of changes and strengths in your organization.
Your next step is to formalize these values with a values statement:
- First, clearly and concisely describe each value.
- Formally adopt each value.
- Share the values with your team.
- Promote the values.
- Finally, reward your team members when they perform according to these values.
Team members can step in to help you here as well. Identify people in your organization who demonstrate leadership qualities that align with these values. Offer them an opportunity to collaborate as a committee in charge of executing the steps above. In doing so, you will have a more organic, well-rounded set of values that reflect the organization effectively.
Remember- everything you do has an impact on your ability to achieve your mission and values. Everything needs to be intentional and well-aligned with your values. Once you are deliberate about how you share this message, you can trust that your teams will emulate and reinforce these values consistently through their actions.
