Knowing how to bring values to life at work starts with how you define them.
There are lots of definitions of values. But some are better than others.
I like the definition of values from Common Cause Australia – an organisation that works with values to create a more equitable, sustainable and democratic society.
For Common Cause Australia, “Values represent our guiding principles: our broadest motivations, influencing the attitudes we hold and how we act.”
So yes, values reflect what we think and feel, our attitudes. But they also shape what we do: the actions we take.
This is important. Workplace values must reflect your organisation attitudes and be reflected in the actions you take (and don’t take) to bring them to life.
Otherwise you’re just another organisations where workplace vales are nothing more than words on a poster on a wall.
Imagine your workplace values as a bicycle wheel. Half of the wheel is what you believe. The other half is what you do. You need both halves to make the Values Wheel work.
For me, communications is one of the best ways to ensure you have both halves of the Values Wheel. Communications will turn your values into actions.
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Photo by Rokas Niparavičius on Unsplash