Defining Organizational Values with One Question

by Richard Jackson

Would you believe that effectively guiding your organization's values, culture and performance is as simple as asking yourself one question?

I recently had a breakthrough in understanding how to transfer and translate core organizational values to associates. However, it got more personal than I would have ever believed. The purpose of this article is to share that illumination with you in an effort to help you make positive changes, not only in your organization, but throughout your personal and professional life.

Understanding the Engine that Drives Organizational Culture 

Starting out, I wish I had known what I know now about which factors drive high performing, high touch organizational cultures. For a long time I believed that coaching people and modeling behavior was the key to improving both organizational performance and its culture. My hope was that people would naturally adapt to the organization's values on their own.

Today, I'm convinced that this is not the most effective approach. An organization's values must be clearly articulated, taught and measured. The reality is that some personalities can cause exponential damage to associate satisfaction and the overall organizational culture and performance. When this happens, it is best that these individuals quickly move on to other opportunities outside the company.

Although I still believe in "walking the walk," there's a more systematic approach to building a dynamic organizational culture. It lies in finding and hiring individuals that already live in alignment with the values of the organization. It's taken me thirty years to understand this. As I've come to recognize the importance of articulating and teaching values within the organization, I've struggled with how to do this effectively. It has certainly been a journey, much more than a destination.

Why a Leader's Personal Story & Values Matter

I have always had confidence in my sense of how to build a culture that 1) attracts talent, 2) retains that talent and 3) leverages it in ways that reap competitive advantages in the market. Yet, I've struggled with how to capture that culture in words and processes that can be taught and measured.

That's when I invited Brandon Smith in to study and articulate what factors were really driving my organization's culture. Brandon is an Emory University faculty member and healthy workplace consultant. What distinguishes Brandon's work from other growth strategy consulting firms is his focus on the connection between culture and performance. In other words, he pursues how organizations create a great corporate culture that offers people a great place to work AND serves as a competitive advantage.

After interviewing associates and managers throughout my organization, Brandon interviewed me last. During our meeting, he asked me two unexpected questions:

The first question Brandon asked me was, "What is your life story?"

I must admit, at first, I was reluctant to answer this question. This was partly due to my own background and the personal nature of the question, and partly because I didn't see what this had to do with my organization's culture and performance, which was the point of the study. 

Brandon assured me that there is a direct link between a leader's personal background and the way they run an organization.   

Regarding my life story, I didn't grow up with the traditional family values and support system many take for granted. After going to 13 schools and ending up in the foster care system, I never had a stable family environment. I learned the hard way which values I most wanted in a family. I wanted a family that encouraged and supported each other. One where every family member was accepted, without judgment, no matter what happens. Loyalty, honesty and authenticity were also critical. Because, growing up, I didn't have any of this.

The Link Between Leadership & Personal Values

The second question Brandon asked was, "What are the ideal values you want to instill in your family?"

The lightning bolt moment for me occurred when Brandon showed me the results of the research he had conducted with associates and managers throughout our organization. What our associates articulated as the most important organizational values were exactly aligned with the values I had said I most wanted in my family.

In other words, I had created in our organization the values system and sense of family I had desperately wanted as a child.

According to Brandon's research, 50 percent of any culture will be the reflection of the leader's personal values. This means that more than customers, employees or any other stakeholder, the personal story and values of an organization's leader has the most significant influence on the organizational culture.

What Brandon revealed to me was powerful. It was something, in all my years of studying and cultivating my organization's culture, I had never seen. This was a revelation for me, and was one of the most powerful moments of my career.

The implications of this are immense. What you and I believe and value, as leaders, is the primary driver of the beliefs and behaviors of our associates and organization.

Here is how Brandon showed me that the values I had defined for our organization were directly related to the ideal values I wanted to instill in my family:

Values and Culture as a Competitive Advantage

If you look closely, you can see that the Golden Rule is the thread that runs throughout our organization's stated values and culture. It applies not only to customers and associates, but to all constituents, including board members, partners, vendors and the media.

These values are deeply personal to me, and I don't want my associates or organization's performance to suffer as a result of individuals who don't share them. If an associate doesn't believe in and practice these values then they are not a fit. I've found this sets expectations and aligns our culture and performance.

I want to make a key point. By transferring our personal and family values to our organization, I am not implying that organizational cultures should be "family-like." What I am talking about is creating an organizational culture in which people are bound together out of respect for one another, and feel responsible for and invested in the organization's success. As leaders, the care and expectations we work to instill in our own families serve as a perfect guide.

The most important question you can ask yourself when it comes to defining and influencing your organization's values, and ultimately its culture, is as easy as asking yourself one question: "What are the ideal values you want to instill in your family?"