There are a multitude of leaders, bloggers, and authors these days who write about the importance of values in corporations. Having the right values and aligning the players with those values produces great results. My mentor, Charles Smith, PhD. has written a great deal on the subject. Below are excerpts from one of his articles at the Library of Professional Coaching:
Context is decisive and people always end up in the context they start with. Corporations need a new context of values that has money and values be of equal importance. There is power that comes from integrating opposites. It’s time for corporations to claim this power. I’ve seen dedication to values in corporations make an enormous difference. Consistently the critical values were;Personal Responsibility for Breakthrough Results: People honor extraordinary performance. They promise and deliver breakthrough results, rather than good intentions and business as usual outcomes. Individuals take themselves as cause in the matter of going beyond normal limits.
Group Alignment: People are going in the same direction. There is shared enthusiasm for the goal. They have shared values and a similar image of the future. They are in the same boat.
Conflict Resolution: There is search for common ground and agreement on problems before seeking solution. People face up to problems and negotiate differences. They attempt to discover and meet each other’s underlying interests, insofar as possible.
Positive Relationship: People know what others care about. They practice openness, direct speaking, generous listening, co-invention and dialogue. They feel safe to express themselves.
Future Focus: People suspend assumptions, they speculate and inquire. They identify what is currently impossible and imagine ways to make it possible. Invention and novelty are valued. On balance, they take responsibility for shaping the future, rather than worrying about it. They embrace possibility.
Profound Respect: People honor each other and their environment. They treat each other as “human beings” rather than objects or “things.” They hold each other accountable and are able to remain generous.