As a leader, you want your corporation to move in a certain direction. To do this you may need to change behaviors, and behaviors start with values. Here we’ll discuss 6 key values that your corporation should be focusing on now.
Being trustworthy
It’s important to start with the value of trust. Being trustworthy is what the word actually coveys, being worthy of someone’s trust. It means behaving consistently in a manner that attracts people’s trust in you. This is probably the greatest asset you could have. Why? Because with this value, your customers will trust you and buy more of what you are offering; your suppliers will trust you and give you their best; your employer and boss will trust you and empower you to act. Trustworthiness establishes a level of comfort between leaders and their team. If your team members and the others in the organization inherently trust you, they will be more motivated to follow your lead and this will, of course, benefit the corporation.
Being customer oriented
Creating a culture of being ‘customer oriented’ is an important key to the success of any business. But what does it mean? It means knowing your customers so well that you understand their needs and their pains. It means empathizing with their pains, being concerned about their wellbeing and striving to serve them. This orientation will make you responsive to their feedback; it will cause you to look at the service or products you offer from their point of view – not just because they are important contributors to your bottom line. When you take care of the customer and provide excellent products or services – the bottom line will take care of itself.
Being quality conscious
Similarly, paying attention to quality enhances the customer experience and creates repeat customers. If the value, customer orientation, is respected, then you would want your customers to have the best quality you can offer them. You would want them to feel good about the product or service every time they use it. You would want the product or service you are offering to maintain quality and last as long as possible. Being quality conscious doesn’t only apply to external customers; your team and employees are your customers as well. Creating a culture of high quality encourages people to raise their standards and performance.
Being positive
We are habitually prone to focus on the negative, on what is not working right, and criticize or offer suggestions for improvement. A change in this orientation is necessary. Instead of immediately focusing on the negative, try to discover the strengths and build on them. Being positive gives people the confidence and energy necessary to improve. Placing value on positive attitudes in your organization benefits everyone’s outlook. Studies show that people feel inspired and empowered when they are surrounded by positivity. Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden-and-Build research demonstrates that as people experience more positive emotions, they become more resilient to stress and develop a broader perspective that allows them to see the big picture and identify solutions. This is all good news for leaders who want to see more creative solutions from their team!
Being respectful
Respect is a human right and everyone deserves to be respected. While we all agree with this value, many are unaware of what it really implies. When someone speaks and we interrupt, we are not showing respect. When someone speaks and we don’t listen, we are not showing respect. But what if we arrive late to a meeting? Is that not disrespectful to the others present? We would probably never show up late for a meeting with someone of a higher social status. The value of being respectful is often ignored because people are so preoccupied with their own agenda. Yet we long for creativity and innovation in our organizations! Innovative ideas come from people at any level of an organization who are not discouraged from expressing their views, and are treated with respect. A culture of respect enables people to contribute knowing that they would be heard, and to share their ideas without fear. Treating people right because they truly matter fosters a healthy and trusting organizational culture.
Being in a learning mode
With all of the technological and scientific advances in recent years, we have access to vast amount of information to feed our learning. We are reminded how important it is to be lifelong learners. But being in a learning mode is not just being up to date with technology and information. A learning mode is an attitude that enables you to learn from your experience. It is an attitude that avoids rigidity and insisting that it’s “my way or the highway”. It is an attitude that encourages improvements and innovations. When you are in a learning mode, you are showing your team that you are open to change, that you respect the opinions of others, and listen to learn. You never know where the next great idea will come from!
Values permeate organizational culture in many ways. Setting clear ones, and the right ones, will lead your team to success.
For more information, contact us at: contacto@infotrac.com
And follow us in: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram