DS Cohen & Associates
What is a healthy culture? It will depend on how the organization lives, the behaviours that express its values, and its ability to find employees who align with those values. When these two are aligned, a healthy culture will result from mutual expectations of how to treat people and how you wish to be treated.
Through their actions, leaders will tell others if they are the culture champions and that the workplace is safe. Creating or inheriting and facilitating a robust culture is one of the most challenging things leaders must do, yet it is also the most important.
Here are some thoughts on what leaders must do to ensure the culture resonates and is stable.
A study by MIT Sloan in 2020 noted that values are ubiquitous among large corporations. “In our study of nearly 700 large companies, we found that more than 80% published an official set of corporate values on their website.” That is down from 85% in 2015. Why are the values important? Because they are the cornerstone of the culture. It is the behaviours that, over time, become the norms that define right from wrong and create the culture. Too often, the values are only window dressing on the website and at onboarding, yet they have little to do with how one is successful within the company. This is evident when reviewing Glassdoor’s comments about most of the commentary on the company by employees or reviewing job postings and seeing little to no reference to the values.
In only a few companies, leaders actually champion the culture, ensuring their values are deeply embedded at every level. These companies don’t have ‘core’ values; they simply have values. The values are unwavering and will not be compromised. Core values leave room for speculation about a secondary set of ad hoc values that can be called upon to fit a strategy or situation. When values are authentic, they are the beacon that determines if the strategy or the actions to execute the strategy are correct.
It is critical to understand that once the leadership expresses and shares the values, the expectation is that they are not a work in progress. Or ‘aspiration’ for some future time. The employees see them as the definition by which to live now. When they are authentic, acting or making decisions counter to the values, sends a message that you don’t mean to support them, or that values are situational. Values are not situational. The values give people the foundation for knowing how they and others will respond in any given circumstance.
Below are key ways leaders can champion their organization’s values and shape a thriving culture:
1. Be authentic: ensure you have ‘corporate legends’ to exemplify the values.
Your values need to be from within your company. You can’t homogenize a list of values from the so-called best workplaces and pick the values that sound good to you. If you are a leader from a company where you thought the values were positive, you must recognize that you can’t impose these values on your new organization.
To ensure you understand the behaviours that define living the values, you need to engage with employees at all levels and locations to find the “corporate legends.” These are the stories that exemplify when a person lives the values. Although these stories are often associated with difficult circumstances, telling them reveals the company’s authentic values.
In this way, you know that the employees have helped and are partners in understanding the behaviours that define the values. Often, the employees have a better way of wording the behaviours so that the concept resonates with everyone equally. Collecting the corporate legends ensures the foundation of the values is embedded in the company’s unique history. Consequently, you have authentic values and the foundation for predictability and integrity.
2. Be the omnibus person for the values
Stewardship of the culture is not an HR responsibility. It is the leadership’s responsibility to embrace and own the values. Leaders must integrate the values into all company activities and consider them when taking action so that their values are not violated.
By having a different leadership team member be accountable for being the go-to person for a specific value, leaders can uncover when employees are living the values and add to the corporate legend stories. Leaders must acknowledge those who live their values in a way that goes beyond their daily work and thank them personally and in person, when possible. A successful method is assigning executive members to be an omnibus person for a specific value.
Culture is reinforced by community. Having managers and employees identify and send a message to the organization about those who are exemplary builds the culture, engages everyone in building a solid foundation, and strengthens the behaviours that define the values. It is not something for employees as stated by leaders or for leaders alone; living the values is the community’s accountability.
3. Build Integrated People Practices
A common mistake is when leaders fail to integrate value behaviors into their daily business activities. Leaders are expected to model these behaviors and set an example for the rest of the organization. However, many leaders do not actively participate in training or talent management activities, such as implementing interview models or performance development practices. This lack of involvement means that these activities are not necessary.
When leaders use the company’s talent procedures, the message reinforces their importance. Hiring people who fit the values at all company levels means you will employ people who are aligned and have a more positive employee experience. Ensure all training and development activities reinforce the values and strengthen the culture. Companies where leaders take the integration of values into people procedures seriously will participate in the complete training activities on using the practices and take an active role in teaching the programs.
Critical activities include discussing values in the performance conversation and identifying high-potential employees. Identifying a high-potential employee who does not live the values sends a message that values and culture are an afterthought.
4. Have courage – take a stand
If you mean the values and the behaviours are the bedrock of the culture, you must act. While the omnibus person, as noted above, finds and celebrates the values to build community, they must also have the courage and conviction to hold those accountable for violating the values. This is the most challenging activity, especially if the person in violation of the valuer is a high producer. Not every culture is right for everyone. By stating your values and behaviours up front, some people will self-select not to apply for a job opening. “If this is the definition of being successful, it is not a place for me. “
By defining and frequently reinforcing the meaning of the values, you know when an employee violates them, and it is time to help them align or leave. Getting them out of the company sends a message to others that you are intentional about your values. You are doing both the employee who is going and those remaining a favour by stating that your values are emotional, intentional, resistant to change and apply to all people — in all circumstances, without exception. (See my article “{Stars, Deadwood, Keeps and Viruses” to help identify where people fall on this spectrum.)
Two final points
If values are the foundation for decision-making, there can be no trade-offs or compromise of the values. They are the gauge by which the correctness of the decision or action is measured. Second to that, you must consciously hold discussions between managers and their direct reports on the meaning of the values and align the understanding to their specific role within the company.
In sum, the success of an organization’s stated values is measured not by their eloquent articulation but by their undeniable presence in every action and decision.
Companies that consistently uphold their values build cultures that are not only resilient and engaged but also drive long-term success. They stand as beacons of integrity in a constantly shifting world. Their strength lies not simply in the ink of financial documents but in their unwavering commitment to principles that guide them towards a promising future. It is the leadership that must be the culture champions.
To learn more about our process of Bringing Our Values to Life, let us set a time to have a conversation, learn about your company’s values and culture and share ideas. Email me.
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David Cohen is completing his second book on how to hire for fit to values/culture. His first book is called The Talent Edge. He has conducted workshops globally on Structured Behavioural Interviewing. For more information on the workshop, please contact DAVID.
