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Values are the key to having an effective team and work place culture.
I witnessed a team develop their core workplace values a while ago and it was ineffective and confusing.
There was a lot of talk and a lot of language used with very little structure.
This led the team to undervalue the values that they came up with and this in turn will lead to those values just becoming words on a piece of paper that is pinned on the notice board with the title "OUR WORKPLACE VALUES ARE..."
Is it any wonder that most people within a team do not have a clue about the core values of a business or even give a shit about what the values are or mean?
Values are the bedrock around how decisions are made.
They have to be aligned to the people who have to work within them.... otherwise they are just words.
Values are the moral compass under which we operate on a day to day basis and when we don't use our values because we are unclear on them, we are like a rudderless ship at sea..... at the mercy of the winds, tides and currents .... and will very likely drift around aimlessly and never reach out desired outcome.
Values should be discussed with your team and elicited together.
However, if you have it done by someone who doesn't explain:
1. What a value is
2. Why values are so important
3. That the value has to be something you can make a decision about
4. Must be upheld by a belief (then explain what a belief is)
5. Explore the language around a value
6. Explain and use the hierarchy of language to ensure a good fit
7. Clearly define the value, and get by-in from all involved
8. Get clear examples of how this value can be used to make a decision around it
9. Ensure that they values do not overlap in anyway - this will avoid confusion during implementation
10. That these values are owned 100% by the team
Then you will have confusion, misunderstanding, a lack of ownership and by-in within the team and the values elicited are about as much use as toilet paper.
Get your values right and you will have a solid foundation to build your workplace culture, team and to make decisions upon.
Get a professional with a proven track record to help you if you need to, because Values will either enhance your workplace culture or destroy it if you get it wrong.