Ditch Rules and Value Values
While not entirely applicable to knowledge businesses I ran across this list of workplace rules at a Chinese keyboard manufacturer via @BillCarroll. It was too shocking, not to pass along. Imagine if you got docked three days pay for leaving your workstation. I’d be out a years pay by Thursday.
It got me thinking about the differences between our workplace rules and values.
Where rules are petty and only succeed in causing alienation between ‘them’ and ‘us,’ values bring everyone together. They give everyone a construct for how to succeed. They promote the actions that will draw the shortest line from here to there.
People will behave as positively as you let them. Everyone wants to do good work and achieve success. If you reward results while ignoring how they were achieved behaviors will deteriorate and align with the behavior behind the falsely rewarded results.
When a company lacks strong values it often devolves into a semi-professional Lord of the Flies, everyone for himself environment. Standing out typically comes at the expense of others.
photo by steve wampler
If you stand for everything, you stand for nothing.
While it’s never too late to rethink values, you don’t get many shots at this. If you look around and see chaos and dysfunction it may be time to rethink your values.
Those at the top of an organization, business unit or even small team who believe change has to come from the bottom are copping out. Values change from the top. Period. The top defines who succeeds and who doesn’t. And therein is an implicit statement of values.
So as a leader ask yourself these questions to build your values foundation:
- What actions do you admire in others? I like this one because it allows us to also strive to be better individuals too.
- What actions can you carry out each and every day without fail? You have to walk the talk constantly. You have to hold yourself to an impossibly high standard in order to succeed in getting these universally acknowledged and followed.
- What does your company require to succeed in the long-term? Do you want to promote competition or collaboration? Are you dependent upon new ideas? Depending on your answers, certain values will be more apt.
Values aren’t decoration for the company walls or cute desk magnets. Nor are they the catalyst for some feel good, touchy-feely, Kumbaya love-in. You have to enforce them as viciously as the Chinese keyboard manufacturer seemingly does their rules.
If someone doesn’t hold the values the company holds you need to get on the same page. Should that fail, you need to part ways. Period. Values are the lifeblood of an organization. An engine doesn’t run when you mix water and oil.
Zappos 10 core values and how ardently they celebrate them are a good start for further exploring.
No related posts.
