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ARE VALUES GUIDING YOUR TEAM TO GREATER HEIGHTS?

Allan Anderson • Apr 21, 2024

Your real values are reflected by your behavior, and if your  espoused values are not consistent with your behavior, you will lose  credibility and trust.  In this article, Jesse Lyn Stoner reminds us the importance of team values, and takes us through seven steps to get us on the path to our teams creating shared values.


Pulling for you,



Alan Andersen


HOW TO CREATE SHARED VALUES THAT GUIDE YOUR TEAM TO GREATER HEIGHTS


Values  are beliefs about what is fundamentally important. They affect your  decision-making and your behaviors, whether you are conscious of them or  not. Your real values are reflected by your behavior, and if your  espoused values are not consistent with your behavior, you will lose  credibility and trust.

The same is true for teams. When a team identifies and commits to  living shared values, there is a deeper level of trust, better problem-solving and increased collaboration.


Team values are more than just a collection of the values of  individual team members. Team values are reflected by the general  pattern of behaviors of team members. They might not be explicitly  stated, but it is possible to observe the general norms of behaviors to tell what the values are.  Are people respectful toward each other? Do they push boundaries or are  they conventional? Do they avoid conflict or is conflict surfaced and  addressed?

Team Values and Purpose


To be most effective, team values should be consistent with the  personal values of the team members and also the purpose of the team.  For example, if you are an accounting department and see your team  purpose as collecting and organizing financial information,  partnering or collaborating with  others won’t be as important as being accurate and dependable. On the  other hand, if you see your team purpose as “providing information and  advice to guide leaders in wise financial decision making,” then partnering and collaborating with business leaders will be essential for your team’s success.

Team Values and Company Values


It’s important to consider how your team values support the purpose  or mission of your company. For example, if your company operates a  cruise line, safety and entertainment are likely to be  core values. The accounting department will need to consider how these  values translate to their own department. Safety might translate to fiscal responsibility. Some values like entertainment  might not translate to a core team value, which is fine. However, even  if it is not a driving value for your team, it must still be respected  or conflict will arise.


If your company hasn’t articulated values, don’t wait.


Consider your sphere of influence, and within that sphere, work with  your team to identify your team’s values. As your team consistently  lives its shared values, those who are impacted will notice, and  interest and energy will spread. At the very least, you will have  strengthened your own team. And you might be pleasantly surprised to  discover that others will begin to change as well, because change does not have to begin at the top of an organization.


7 Guidelines to Create Shared Values


1. Don’t assume that any values are simply “understood.” If you think something is already understood, it needs to be named as an important core value. If some form of integrity or ethical behavior is not identified as a core value, you will eventually find yourself in a downward spiral.


2. Involve your team in identifying the values. You  can’t impose values on others. When you surface the values that your  team cares deeply about, they will commit to living them.


3. Don’t make a laundry list. Focus on the shared  values that are the key drivers to fulfill your team’s purpose. There  are usually only three to five core team values. You don’t need to  include each individual’s personal values, as long as there are no  values conflicts.


4. Translate the values into observable behaviors. Providing behavioral examples helps your team understand what the values look like when they are being lived.


5. As a leader, model the values consistently. People watch what you do more closely than they listen to what you say.


6. Integrate your stated values into your daily processes and practices. Refer  to your values when it’s time to make important decision. Talk  frequently about how they are reflected in your daily work. They will  not be effective if they are seen as something extra or “soft.”



7. Don’t ignore a values breach. If a core value has  been violated, address it immediately. No one is exempt. Too often bad  behavior of “high performers” is ignored, which in the long run  undermines your entire team.


Originally posted by Jesse Lyn Stoner

TAKE THE TIME TO INVEST IN YOURSELF BY INVESTING IN OTHERS

By Shandel Sutherland • 21 Apr, 2024
3-MINUTE READ As a leader, what are you missing that would help you achieve “the next level'? Chances are it is a person. Even more likely it is a person who is in the next room or down the hall from you at this very moment! Yet, we sit stressed and maxed out as they sit underutilized and bored. They desire meaning, mentoring and challenge, while we desire initiative and productivity. Still, both parties sit in their comfortable and familiar rut. This is a very poor utilization of assets and leaves huge profits on the table. THE ART OF INVESTING Think of your time as you would your money. A wise person thinks in a long-term manner about their money and how to spend and/or invest it for the greatest ROI (return on investment.) Consider the focus, time, and energy you devote to making, saving, and investing money for a specifically defined purpose. Now, that is exactly how you need to approach the time you invest in the people in your sphere of influence; and it is an art. A skill that must be learned and then uniquely applied according to each individual who can share in accomplishing the goal. STEPS ON INVESTING IN OTHERS 1. You must have clarity about what you are trying to accomplish. What outcomes you want to focus on and why does it matter? Is the vision compelling enough to get others involved and want to share in the ownership? 2. Focus on the few things only you and you alone can do. What are the unique strengths that you bring to the vision that no one else possesses on the team? What are the other things or tasks you are currently doing (and yes, we know you can do them well) but others could do just as good if not better? Make a list and identify the ones that steal the most time. 3. Find people that have the strengths and abilities to do the tasks you have identified. Before you approach them, work through all the fears you have about delegating, letting go, and giving up control. You may need your coach for this portion. 4. Connect with the person you would like to delegate your tasks to and make sure you have plenty of time to talk it out and get buy-in. Share your vision and your goal of investing in the person's professional and personal growth by passing on these specific tasks. Press for push back, find all the holes together, make sure you have healthy conflict to vet out all their fears and share your concerns as well. 5. Train the person on how you currently do the task. A: Show/tell them how to do it. B: Do it with them. C: Observe them as they do it for you. D: Coach them as they do it without you. E: Trust them as they do it alone. F: Check in often and create space for continuous improvement. You have just invested in one of your people and they are feeling empowered and trusted. Equally as important, you have just opened up a huge amount of time to operate in your strength and talent which you alone do best. It is now time to do it again and again until you are only operating in your strengths! What do you think about investing in yourself by investing in others? Your Coach,  Shandel Sutherland

HOW'S YOUR TEAMWORK?

By Shandel Sutherland • 21 Apr, 2024
3-MINUTE READ Teamwork is a method that aligns employee mindsets in a cooperative and usually selfless manner towards a specific business purpose. Today there is no business or organization that doesn’t talk about the need for and value of teamwork in the workplace. Some things cannot be accomplished by people working individually. Larger, more ambitious goals usually require that people work together with others. Because of this, teamwork is a desired goal of many businesses and organizations today. People who have well developed teamwork skills easily form relationships with mutual respect among diverse types of people. They understand the strengths and weaknesses of others and place a high priority on the success of their department and/or organization. People with strong skills in teamwork support team decisions and share responsibility with team members for successes and failures. How do you develop your own skills in Teamwork? • Show respect for all other people and display sincere interest in them as individuals. • Work on improving or enhancing your communication skills. • Give positive feedback as often as possible. • If you have a difficult relationship with someone, work to improve it through self-awareness and respect for differences. • Be enthusiastic about your ideas but don’t be overbearing or domineering when you express them. Try not to interrupt other people and listen to their ideas carefully before you disagree. • Discuss your ideas with your teammates until you agree. • Be willing to step back from a disagreement and cooperate. • Teach yourself not to be defensive. Think of negative feedback as opportunities for improvement, not personal affronts. • Be tolerant of others. Recognize that others’ viewpoints are as important to them as yours are to you! Self-observation Ask someone you trust to help you identify times when you come across as overbearing, domineering or intolerant of others. Keep a log of your behavior over the next month or so. Then, try to answer the following questions as you look at your notes: • Are there patterns to your actions? What are they? • Do you interrupt often in meetings or conversations? Do you interrupt certain people more often than others? • Are you particularly sensitive or domineering on certain topics or with certain people? • How does your behavior make those people feel and/or react? If you discover you would like to build your teamwork skills or the skills of your team, we would be glad to be part of the process. Your Coach,  Shandel
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