We hear a lot about the importance of values in a workplace, and there are many organizations who have declared their core values but are they actually part of the culture or are they just posters on the wall?

Gino Wickman, in his Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), states that organizations should hire, fire, reward, recognize and promote based on core values. But how do you actually do that?

Hire

Do your interview questions elicit responses which will show examples (or non examples which are just as important) of how a potential candidate may live (or not live) a value? For example, if one of your core values is teamwork, ask some open-ended questions such as:

• Can you share an example of when it would have been easier to do something by yourself, but you worked in a team instead?

• How do you prefer to work?

• What are some of the challenges you’ve faced with regards to teamwork? How did you overcome them?

For these questions, listen for situations where the candidate worked with others and it was positive, but also, examples where they describe how they were supposed to work with someone, but it wasn’t a good experience so they just did it all themselves (these non-examples tell you they won’t be a values-fit).

Additionally, be very clear about your core values. Include them in your job posting, and speak to their importance when you meet with a candidate. If they are paying attention, they will include them (subtly or overtly) in how they answer your questions.

Fire

Jim Collins’ concept of “First Who, Then What” from Good to Great speaks to finding the right people. Wickman defines Right Person as someone who lives your values. If you evaluate your employees on how well they live the organization’s core values, then you should help those who do not share the organization’s core values to find an opportunity where they will align better.

Often, we struggle with high-performing people who do not align with the organization’s core values as we look at their performance (Wickman references this as being in the Right Seat in his system). Someone who is Wrong Person (not a values fit) but Right Seat generally should look for success elsewhere. These people often tend to be culture killers since they do not align with the core values.

An example would be a company with a core value of Integrity, but who has an employee in the sales department, who exceeds all their sales targets, but who might do it through behaviours that do not align with integrity. Often, their non-values-based behaviour causes bigger problems for the organization (in the sales example above, maybe they make unrealistic promises that get the client, but costs the company in other ways).

Reward

When you reward employees, tie it to living values, not necessarily to output. So, someone who meets their sales goal might receive a reward or some kind, but because they met the goal while living in integrity to use the example above. When you evaluate compensation or other rewards, ensure the people you reward live your organization’s values. If “wrong people” (people who don’t live your values) are rewarded, it will kill any messaging that values are important and people will see them as posters on the wall, but not actually worth following.

Recognize

Similar to reward, when you praise someone, tie it to a value. Whether you have an informal or formal program, start using the language of values. If you have employee of the month, choose someone who exhibits core values and when you describe why they were chosen, be specific about how their behaviour is tied to values.

Promote

If you want a values-based organization, you need to ensure that those people in leadership positions truly buy into your core values. Others need to see that employees who are promoted are a values fit, or else you run the risk of people seeing the inconsistency between what you say and who is rewarded (similar to reward and recognize). As well, when you promote according to values-fit, these people will also continue to perpetuate values and hire, fire, reward, recognize and promote according to core values.

Values are more than Buzz Words

Organizational core values almost seem to be more buzz words, and they certainly can be if organizations say they have them, but do not take the extra step to integrate them into the practice. It is one thing to come up with words like Integrity or Dedication, but are you clear about what behaviours demonstrate those values, or is it up to each person to put their own spin on it?

Brene Brown takes values work one step further when she talks about “Operationalizing Values.” She says it is imperative to define specific behaviours for each value so that each person is crystal clear on how to live them. I have done that for my three values (read more in my blog post on values).

When you have an organization full of “Right People” who are acting consistently and who know what to expect, you will see results that will blow you away. People want to gravitate to working with other people who share the same values, and, for organizations who align with their core values. Unfortunately, many organizations stop at the first step of this process.

Need Help?

Do you need help with this important work? I am happy to help organizations create a foundation based on core values. Reach out to me and let’s talk!

Not a leader in an organization, but want to identify and define your personal core values? I can help with that too! Check out my resource and if you want coaching, I can offer that too!