This week let’s talk about values.  Values are an important tool for leaders and managers to use.  They help you define the behaviour and your expectations as a boss.

Does your organisation have values?  Larger organisations have them displayed on the wall and use them in corporate documents.  But often when it gets down to a team level they don’t have as much meaning. 

You might work for an organisation that doesn’t have any written values.  I think it is a good idea as a leader to try at least within your team to define some values or expectations of behaviour.

Values fit into business strategy as describing how the work is done.  Why we do the work is often the mission or purpose.  The what we do is the objectives, but the how we do it is important to describe because often that is what determines quality.  The difference that separates you from the rest of your industry – your competitive advantage.  So defining it is of critical business importance.

Coming up with values for your team is easy.  Whether they already exist for your organisation or not.  If you don’t have anything to go by, there’s a simple process you can go through.

1.     Get a flip chart and sit your team down.  Draw a big square. 

2.     Inside the square ask your team members to write the dos of how they should work together and behave.  Being accountable might be one; another one might be sharing the work load. 

3.     Then on the outside of the square, ask them to write the don’ts.  Gossiping, putting people down at meetings, and so on.

4.     Once you have got this from them, you as the leader can go away and refine them and come up with some ground rules, phrases or words that describe the values and how your team will behave and work together. 

By going through that first step in the process of involving your team, gets buy-in, they’ll own the values as much as you will.  Once they’re established they’re good for you as a leader to use to reinforce what your expectations are from your team. 

Try it this week, and let me know how you and your team get on.

If you haven’t taken the opportunity to sign up to the Every Tuesday Club with MBE (Management & Business Education), then do so today by going to www.buseducation.com.