Modeling Our Values, and Explaining Why

Even when we’ve done everything in our power to model the core values our business is built on, we can’t just assume that everyone who cares about those values will automatically connect our behaviors to the reputation we’re working to establish (or maintain). It’s up to us to explain why we’ve chosen our specific approach. As nice as it would be if everyone understood it all, they’re likely consumed with issues of their own and have little time left over for anything we may hope they’re paying attention to… I’ve often heard that most people don’t want to hear about our problems, and the ones who do are happy we have them! When it comes to taking the time to think about how any type of service we may provide our clients exemplifies our core company values, you can bet that client is far more interested in how we’re helping solve their problems than why we’re providing that service in a certain way.

During a recent conversation with a client (who’s also a very close friend), I suggested that they be very intentional in making sure folks in each of the companies they work with routinely are aware of a specific need they have within their firm. While this client’s company is already one of the best in their field, adding that extra bit of talent would help them provide all of their clients with more and better service; mentioning this need would in no way be perceived as a lack of capability for what they currently offer. My friend’s response was, “As frequently as we work with each of those other companies, I would think they’d naturally point someone with that skill set in my direction…” While I understood why they felt this way, I shared how many times someone Cindy and I had an existing business relationship with solicited support from another business simply because they had no idea we offered what they needed - and we could have easily delivered exponentially more return on their investment since we already know a lot about their team. In most cases, these clients (ours and my friend’s) are so busy keeping their own plates spinning that we’re just not at the top of their minds. This isn’t necessarily because they don’t care about the relationship we have with them, our needs - or how and why we’re working to model our core values - isn’t the first thing they think about. If we’re not intentional about staying on their radar, can we really blame them?

If we really want the values we hold most dear to be a solid part of the reputation we’re known for far and wide, we cannot leave any of that to chance. Not only will we need to talk about those values consistently, we’ll need to connect everything we do as an organization to those values and we’ll need to detail exactly why we do those things a certain way. All too often, individuals and organizations alike shy away from this out of concern that it will come across as self serving or manipulative. As I mentioned earlier when explaining the importance of defining exactly what our values mean, the only folks I’ve ever known to do this in a manipulative way were just plain manipulative in everything else they did, too. The best example I’ve ever heard of was very intentional about making sure everyone knew exactly why He did what He did.

A Reputation for Serving, Based on Our Values

Make no mistake, there’s a huge difference between touting how amazing we are and in explaining how or why our actions tie back to our values. We’ve all been around folks who have a title that carries some level of authority, and seen them pound their chest about how important they are or why everyone around needs to follow all their commands. If that’s our underlying objective when talking about our values, you can bet anyone listening will see right through it - sooner or later. But if the explanation we provide is from a genuine place of detailing why we’re willing to do everything in our power to exceed our clients’ expectations, it’s a whole different ball game.

At this risk of alienating some folks, including a few who may even share my faith, let’s consider this from a Christian perspective. I have two close friends who are very open about being atheists. Both are men of principle and some of the most morally sound people I’ve ever known. Over the decades we’ve been friends, I’ve seen numerous people all but attack them for not aligning with a stereotypical Christian worldview. If that were me in their shoes, being scolded over differing views, that would only push me farther away - be that about a certain faith or anything else. And quite honestly, both of the men I’m referring to have demonstrated far more character in the time I’ve known them than many of the loudest I’ve ever been around in any denomination. All said, I’ve never been apologetic with them about my own faith; I’ve just never attempted to shove it down their throats. But each time I’ve been able to serve them in some way, I try to emphasize that I’m doing it not just because they’re my friend, but also because that’s the example Jesus provided in Mark 10:42-45 (NIV):

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I realize that inserting that reasoning into any conversation with either of them opens up every bit of less-than-perfect behavior they ever see from me for scrutiny. So be it, I’m judged by people I respect less than those two friends every single day… I share that with them because I care about them, not in an attempt to tell them they’re wrong and I’m right. I also weave in that if they’re beliefs are correct, I end up in the same place they do. But if mine are correct, they will not end up in the same Place as me…

As we explain how our behaviors connect with our values, the same thing holds true. If we can detail why we’re willing to go above and beyond in providing our products or services, it’s no longer about why we’re great - but more about why we believe everyone we interact with deserves that level of service. The difference between a manager demanding that everyone is complicit in catering to them and a leader who is actively looking for ways to benefit the members of their team is similar. Modeling our core values should increase the level of service we provide to everyone we interact with. Explaining it just helps connect the dots. All said, we’ll need to make sure we’re consistent every step of the way.

A Reputation Built on Consistency, Over Time…

To build a reputation that drives results, one that each person who ever hears about us will connect with our core values, being intentional in our approach to providing world-class service and being sure to detail why we’re willing to do it is part of our responsibility as leaders. But doing any of this on occasion won’t get the job done. We’ll have to model our values every single day. We’ll also need to make sure everyone on our team knows exactly why we’re doing that and how they’re expected to do the same. Doing either consistently won’t be nearly as simple as printing those values in a handbook, painting them on a wall, or adding them to our website. That’s where discipline comes into play, and that kind of discipline is often the key difference between effectively leading a team and just managing the actions of the people reporting to us.

Our example starts the process, but bringing the team along with us on the journey is how we’ll build modeling our values into a culture - a culture that yields the reputation our organization is known for far and wide. That’s where the second half of Leading With A Clear Purpose comes into play; helping our team members identify their own clear purpose and connecting that with our organizational purpose. With that connection made, tying our core values to purpose can give meaning to work that may otherwise lead to burnout - especially when the process takes longer than any of us wants and we’re not seeing significant results.

There’s no way around it, building a great reputation takes time and consistent effort. Whatever reputation we’re known for from a distance will be based on the culture we’re built within our teams, and what the clients and community we support directly experience from us. And like it or not, that internal culture falls completely on how we’ve routinely modeled our core values for everyone we lead. Consistency gets the process started and connecting our values to a clear purpose will help create sustainability, something we’ll start working through soon…