Unless leaders define which specific actions are allowed - and which are not - organizational values are simply "words on a wall".
Many organizations I worked for had clearly defined standards for the way people could - and could not - dress at work. But not many had clearly defined standards about specific actions that were - and were not - allowed. They just had words like "treat others with respect, act with integrity and teamwork".
And that's a problem, because people in organizations come from all different backgrounds and experiences. That means that common words found in organizational values like "respect, integrity, dependability, and teamwork", to name a few, mean different things to different people. And because they mean different things to different people, someone may think they are acting in a way to model that value, when in fact, according to your organization's definition of that value, and the way to show it, they aren't.
To give people a common "language" and yard stick to use to understand what those words mean in your organization's culture, and to measure their actions and behavior against, as a leader, you need to define which ACTIONS are acceptable for people to take and which aren't.
If "We Act with Integrity at All Times"is one of your organization's values, not only do you need to define what the word integrity means in your organization, you need to give specific examples of what "Acting with Integrity" looks like in ACTION.
Here's an example of creating a definition, and a standard of how people are expected to act to show the value, and what actions don't show it:
Definition of Integrity: In our organization we define the word Integrity to mean "being honest and truthful in one's words and actions at all times".
This is what it looks like for team members:
Actions that show integrity:
Letting your manager know, by email, phone call or in person, that you are going to miss a deadline at least 24 hours in advance of the deadline.
Letting your manager know immediately if you have made a mistake so that it can be fixed.
Letting your manager know if you don't understand something and asking clarifying questions so that you can find out.
Actions that do not show integrity:
Handing in work late without letting your manager know by email, phone call or in person at least 24 hours in advance.
Hiding mistakes in your work.
Not asking questions if you don't understand something.
For Leaders:
Actions that show Integrity:
Clearly setting specific targets and giving exact day and time written deadlines for all work so that team members know what is expected of their work at all times.
Letting team members know when they are missing their Targets right away, and spending time helping them find ways to hit them.
Letting team members know how the team and organization is doing as a whole, financially.
Actions that do not show Integrity:
Not giving team members written deadlines or specific targets for their work.
Not having a kind conversation with a team member when they miss the target so that you can find out why and what you can do to help them hit it next time.
Hiding financial information about the organization from team members.
As a leader, you can make sure that your organization's values aren't just "words on the wall" by specifically defining the actions that you expect to see to show those values in many different situations such as meetings, project work, individual work, interacting with coworkers and with customers and vendors. Then, when someone doesn't act in those ways, you can help them change their behavior so that it meets the standard.
Please remember, most people want to do their best and be their best. But they can't do that, unless they specifically know what "best" is. And when it comes to the actions which are allowed and aren't in an organization, Kind Leaders know that it is their job to specifically define them!
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