Values - what's the big deal?

So why are values so important and what are some ways that they can really impair a company's productivity? Well the answer to that can really go in any number of directions but for the sake of our example we are going to concentrate on two areas. 1 - At the corporate level 2- In the sales process

At the corporate level what we believe is important to look at are Mission Statements and what are they really for? For example, If you where to conduct your own independent survey of corporate mission statements there is a high probability that the words integrity or values would be in nearly every one of them. But the question is how many of these companies actually practice these values with unwavering consistency? Now a days values and integrity or mostly used as buzzwords, or to be more realistic buzz-kills. The reason these words have become buzz kills for millions of today's employees is because when high impact, important beliefs are said to be established with in an organization the expectations (initially) are that the company will abide by those expectations they themselves have set. So once (and it only takes once) a company acts in a manner that is less than equal to the expectations they themselves have set forth, the company losses credibility, a lot of it. That is when those words become only buzzwords or buzz-kills.

What is great about values is they are transparent. There is no working both sides of the fence with values; there is no big gray area. Something either falls in line with good values or it does not. With in a corporation if someone makes a decision that is not based on the company's values they cannot hide form it. It can be likened to them walking around in a bright neon green outfit, that everyone else can see but the person wearing. And that person will continue day in and day out to be unaware of that neon green outfit until they become in tune with ramifications of their decision making process.

The big problem with most "positions of authority" in corporations today is that they do not understand that values are transparent and that values do not owe anything to the hierarchy. Meaning that no matter what your position is, values work the exact same way. You could be the president of the company but if you choose to exercise your authority in a manner that can be construed as less than "value oriented" or less than "the right thing to do", then you have just lost credibility. Position and the prerogative to make decisions does mean that people have to respect the decisions that where made, or even the for that matter respect the person who made the decision.

Respect is earned and not owed because of any title. True leaders are developed by strength of character. Character is determined by a persons values and principles and their adherence to them. People with strong character make the right decisions and create an aura of dependability, trust worthiness and integrity. These qualities make up the back bone of the most influential leaders you will ever see. Colin Powell in a past presentation on leadership said "Have you ever noticed that people will personally commit to certain individuals who on paper (or on the chart) posses little authority, but instead posses pizzazz, drive, expertise, and a genuine caring for teammates and products?"

But what are some examples of a lack of values with in a corporation.
Well how about these.

• Promoting family members or close friends to higher positions with in the company even if their skill set might not be as high as another candidates.
• The corporate old boys club
• An executive that only allows themselves to be influenced only by a certain circle of people, when they have a big company full of talented to people to listen to. This is the destructive filter effect.
• How about people in positions of authority with BIG egos.
• What about the refusal to alter a companies culture even though everyone knows that there are some glaring areas that go against the so called "mission statement".
• What about the lack of women or diverse ethnic backgrounds through out all levels of management.
• Overlooking sexual harassment issues depending on the person.
• Not releasing financial packages for executives before union workers vote on their financial concessions to help sure up the future of a company.

There are hundreds if not thousands of other examples but I think you get it. These are the things that really kill trust & productivity, quickly and quietly with in a company.

I am not even going to talk about "off balance sheet entities", "tricky derivative sales", "tax evasion and faulty accounting practices" because those types of activities are just criminal - and not to be confused with questionable values.

However with the previous things listed and many more you might hear any executive say that those items are uncontrollable or unmanageable. But the truth of the matter is this, if those "little" things cannot be controlled or managed by the person in charge (at any level) that person is not capable of doing what is required of them and they should be replaced. In other words a company 'makes" things happen by "allowing" them to happen.

In regard to the sales process values affect that in exactly the same way. Mainly because a perspective customer will assume a salesperson has integrity until they display that they do not. That is human nature, because people want to believe that everyone has integrity. How do salespeople blow that customer trust? Well in a lot of ways;

• They start using overbearing assumptive closes
• They explain things with such ambiguity that the prospect does not get all the details
• They do not follow up on things they said they would do
• They forget about everything that needs to happen after the sale.
• They focus on only the money and not the people
• They think of their objective and not their customers
• They are a price closer only - or in other words a "no talent" salesperson.

Too many more to list on this subject but they can all be attributed to one thing; they do not conduct themselves as people of solid character and good values.

I could go on and on and I am sure most people reading this could as well. You cannot avoid reading about these things nearly every morning in the Wall Street Journal or any paper with a business section. It is too bad really because none of it needs to happen. Not in the corporations, not in the sales process, not in the financial markets and no one in this country should be have to be negatively effected by it at all, unfortunately million of people are everyday.

But if somebody every wants to do their part and fix what they can, it all comes down to one thing. People who have weak values and weak character make the wrong decisions consistently. People with strong character and strong values make the right ones. Once you truly get "values" you figure out pretty quick that they are transparent and there is no gray area. If you can get that one point and stick with it, you will go far.

Dale and Ben Midgley
Co-Founders
The Golden Circle of Business©