How Values Make a Difference in Your Business
As you know, a few weeks ago, Ellevated Outcomes held our first client appreciation event. Shortly after, Violet and Isaac‘s papa Brian asked me a thought provoking question: “Did you learn anything new from it?”
He’s a practical and soulful guy, so I don’t know if he was wondering about logistics or deeper insights. But what came out of my mouth, surprised me. I responded with what I’ve learned about company values.
You see, when I was presenting our company’s mission and vision to our clients, I was articulating this to them for the first time. And that is fair enough, as these aren’t meant to be show pieces that you parade around. It’s an inside-out thing. We get crystal clear on them, inside. Then, we use this to illuminate what we’re doing and how we do it on the outside.
As I was preparing to share this deeply personal information on a PowerPoint, I became quite emotional. I started reflecting on how lucky I am to work with the people I do. When friends and family ask me about “favorite clients,” it is an impossible question to answer, for I enjoy every single business and every single person in my vie quotidien.
How many business owners can say that?
As I looked out at the group of 25 people in varying businesses and industries, I said to them:
“I care much more about who you are and how you do things than what you’re doing.”
They’ve even started buying from each other already, creating their own ecosystem. Be still, my heart.
Yet, how is all this possible? It sounds like coincidence, but I promise that it’s not. Is there some luck involved? In any good thing in life, I believe that yes, luck plays its part. But luck only happens when there’s intentionality that sets your course and lights your path. Enter: values.
A value is…
a way of being or believing that you hold most important.
-Dr. Brené Brown
Dr. Brown uses the metaphor that a value is like a lantern. So, if we follow the path lit by our values, we can show up and be seen. I’d argue that this is true in life, and this is definitely true in work.
The list of possible values is endless. They’re words that may immediately spring to mind, like accountability, connection, quality, generosity, legacy, and optimism – to name a very few (here’s a list of 200 more for you).
Yet, especially with a corporate background, I often find values to be used without meaning or accountability. They’re printed on posters on a wall, or sometimes one is graded on them in year-end reviews. But how can we take them off the page and into real life? How do values come through someone, when he’s interacting with colleagues and clients? When he’s stressed about a deadline?
It’s the operating principles…
that explain “here’s what it looks like to act out this value in our company.”
I love, love, love using Dave’s company as an example for operating principles. They don’t even have what I call values above; instead, they go straight to the so-what. Here’s how they do things.
- Everybody makes the coffee.
- Honest conversations make us stronger.
- Seek first to understand.
- Assume positive intent.
- We’ll figure it out.
Everyone I share this with lights up when they hear “everybody makes the coffee.” I assume that the value which stands behind this is something along the lines of equality. But isn’t this such a lasting, visual way to explain it?
[Sidenote: if I could only get Dave to make the coffee at home…]
I can’t reiterate enough how important it is to articulate, verbalize, and act out your business’s values and operating principles. When done well, they’re another filter you can use to make important decisions at work and attract the right employees, clients, money, and enjoyment to your business.
This works. I promise you.
In Ellevated Outcomes’ inaugural year of business, we soared through six figures and made a strong profit; and now, we have some big growth plans for 2019.
Yes, I’m proud of these outcomes. But as Brian pulled from me a couple weeks ago, I’m more proud of how we arrived at the outcomes. We created a business model that directly prospered from our values of integrity, tenacity, inclusion, honesty, and abundance – not in spite of them.
And now, we’re surrounded by smart, money-making businesses doing great things in the world that want to show up and be seen in similar ways.
It is just magical, my friends.
Next Steps:
Just like with the mission and vision, it can feel overwhelming to try answering the question, “What are your values?” from a blank sheet of paper. It can also feel overwhelming to look at list of 200 and choose only three to five.
Instead, I suggest soliciting help. Find your closest, deep-listening, truth-telling friend and share with him / her your reaction to these two statements:
- Tell me about a compliment that a colleague, boss, or client has recently given to you.
- Then, tell me about a recent work situation that’s really upset or offended you.
Your reflection, alongside your friend’s replay of what (s)he heard and analysis, should give you a clue on what your hot-button values are. I’ve done this exercise with teams too, and it’s amazing how the answers always converge together. Birds of a feather flock together, so many businesses have a more cohesive set of unstated values than they realize.
Then, after you articulate a maximum of three values and prioritize them, it’s time to “bring them to life.” Answer for yourself – or among a small team – “How are we going to hold ourselves accountable to these values? What will it look like to act in congruence with them, and what will it look like to not act in congruence with them?”
This is an iterative process. Block out three deep sessions in the span of a three weeks to get started, then schedule once-a-month follow-ups to revisit and iterate on your draft over the next six months.
