As human beings, we operate from a set of values that influence our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. These values, whether conscious or not, are operating all the time and create a set of beliefs that then seek out only that information which supports our beliefs and demonstrates our values. When there is a misalignment between the outer world and our values, we are triggered, and the value becomes even more entrenched. Most human beings aren’t aware of the values they live by. The way we find our values is to look at what we do on a daily basis, the thoughts that precede those actions, and the emotions that are evoked by those thoughts and actions. Only then can we change our actions to align with who we are and where we want to be moving in our life.
Organizations also operate with a set of values that often originate from the founder and become the “norms” by which those within the organization live them out each day. Organizational values are often listed on a wall or reside in a document stored away. They rarely become fully embraced and practiced by everyone in the organization because leadership has not instilled consistent ways to keep them alive. Keeping them alive means taking them out of a drawer, revisiting each value, and identifying specific behaviors that demonstrate the value not just in the organization but in every position in the organization. What an employee does every day should connect back to a value espoused by the organization. When this happens, every behavior has meaning and purpose, and if you are lucky, the values the organization lives by are the same values that matter to an employee. When organizational values align with individual values, everyone wins!
Want to identify how your organization lives its values or how to instill your organization’s values into everything your employees do? Transform has a collaborative organizational process that brings your values alive, engages all employees, and ignites purpose and meaning into the work of your people and in the end, the payoff goes right to the bottom line.
If you are looking for a way to reignite energy and passion back into your organization, give us a call, and let’s talk about the possibilities.
Theresa Gale
PRINCIPAL, TRANSFORM, INC.
