By Dr. Sam Adeyemi
6 Simple Steps to a Values-Driven Workplace
Your workplace culture should be so much more than noticeable. It should wear a name tag and define your organization to the industry.
A working environment is the product of one thing: organizational values. That said, companies with thriving workplace culture have a positive outlook on the future, and almost half of these organizations experience a significant increase in revenue each year. So how does a successful leader create an enviable working culture rooted in the organization’s values? These are the six steps I’ve found indispensable in my time as a coach to some of the world’s leading executives.
6 Simple Steps to a Values-Driven Culture
| DEFINE YOUR VALUES | ALIGN YOUR VALUES | MODEL YOUR VALUES |
| What matters and what doesn’t? | Is everyone on the same page? | Do you set the right example? |
| SPREAD YOUR VALUES | REWARD THE RIGHT PEOPLE | ATTRACT TOP TALENT |
| Are they gaining momentum? | Who gets rewarded and why? | Do your values make you desirable? |
1. DEFINE your values.
The Tower of Babel is a story about hubris and misunderstanding. In this Judeo-Christian origin myth, God doles out punishment for human arrogance, splintering apart humanity’s single universal language and covering the world in confusion. With analogous stories across a number of ancient cultures, the story reminds us how important it can be to preserve a common understanding among our peers.
Every journey toward creating a thriving working culture begins with defining your personal and organizational values. Shockingly, around 95% of employees say they don’t even understand their company’s overall strategy, and this level of confusion can be very counterproductive.
Creating a positive working culture is always challenging, but a well-defined and value-driven perspective makes every difficult decision along the way a tiny bit easier. How are you spending your time? How are you allocating your resources? These indicators provide us with useful insights into what matters most to our organizations, as well as how we prioritize each of them as a leader.
2. ALIGN your values.
It took an estimated 400,000 people to make the Apollo 11 moon landing possible. Hundreds to thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians — many of whom had never worked in aerospace before — began work as a surprisingly cohesive team almost two years prior to launch. What helped tie them all together? A strong overall vision and regular interactions with the astronauts across every department.
When you and your team are aligned with a common goal and unified in getting it done, there is almost nothing you can’t accomplish. A collective commitment within your organization not only increases productivity and performance, but it also makes it easier for your employees to be content with their work. So, how do you achieve this level of commitment? By aligning your organization’s values with the individual values and motivations of your team members. This means taking a closer look at all the values involved and puzzling out how they might work together.
3. MODEL your values.
Observing behavior is one of the most fundamental ways humans learn. We already know role models can have a profound impact on children, and recent studies show that observing the right behavior can improve self-control among adults and inspire corrective action. Why? Because this educational framework goes back as far as our infancy, mimicking the behaviors of those around us to take the next step.
You come face to face with your organization’s values almost every day. How you handle those confrontations is a direct representation of your priorities, and it sends a clear signal about what matters. This observable behavior can influence your workplace standards, day-to-day routines, and overall company vision.
For example, if your executives are not willing to live up to a certain standard themselves, then they should never expect it from their employees. On the contrary, when you model and embody the values that you demand from others, you are much more likely to receive support and inspire in-house ambassadors of your own.
4. SPREAD your values.
What would happen if everyone in the world sneezed at the same time? What would happen if everyone in the world recycled one extra aluminum can? What if everyone just stopped drinking coffee? These hypothetical questions are intriguing because they are testaments to both unity and quantity. In 2005, a group of Finnish Scouts all screamed in unison to a level of 127 decibels, setting a new world record. It’s always fascinating to consider what is made possible by a singular, consolidated effort.
No matter how clearly defined and aligned your organization’s values, they need collective momentum to make a serious impact on your working culture. Every organization is an interdependent system of professionals — a team working together. Each person leaves a mark, and every department wields its own sphere of influence. Consequently, you need investment from every level of your organization to make changes that are both permanent and purposeful.
5. REWARD the right people.
Beginning in 1750 BCE, the Code of Hammurabi ushered in the “rule of righteousness.” Prior to the existence of these basalt slabs, no society possessed its own recorded set of laws. As such, every case was decided on an individual basis, resulting in legal proceedings that were both wildly unfair and increasingly chaotic. This standardization made it possible for a community to consistently ensure it was encouraging the right behavior.
Every system designed to support team morale requires a balanced approach of both rewards and reprimands. However, achieving this balance using values-driven reinforcement is much more challenging when your organization has failed to define and align its values from the beginning. Your employees naturally want to improve and excel — it’s probably one of the reasons you hired them! But, none of that matters if your system of values doesn’t consistently reward the right behavior.
6. ATTRACT top talent.
To attract insects for food, the Venus flytrap secretes a sweet nectar onto its leaves and uses the red coloring to lure insects into its jaws. This is a fairly simple process that has evolved over millions of years of adaptation. What’s the lesson? In order to bring what you want to the table, you have to create an environment that your target audience finds attractive. For a successful leader, this audience is the top talent in the industry.
When your working culture is thriving, your values should be just as prominent and inescapable as your company’s brand. What matters to your organization should be clear as day, and these priorities should create a working culture that is attractive to the most sought-after talent in your industry. If your values are already defined, aligned, and modeled across the board, these character-driven professionals will become additional ambassadors for your company — bolstering your brand’s impact within the organization and the industry at large.
About the Author: Atlanta-based Dr. Sam Adeyemi (SAY: Ah Day yeh me) is CEO of Sam Adeyemi, GLC, Inc. and founder and executive director of Daystar Leadership Academy (DLA). More than 45,000 alumni have graduated from DLA programs, and more than 3 million CEOs and high performing individuals follow him on top social media sites. Dr. Sam’s new book is “Dear Leader: Your Flagship Guide to Successful Leadership.” He holds a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Virginia’s Regent University, and is a member of the International Leadership Association. He and his wife, Nike (say Nee keh) have three children. Learn more at SamAdeyemi.com.