How To Convince Leaders That Values Matter

If you’re reading this article, chances are you already understand the benefits of clearly defined values. Or at least you’re open to exploring how developing the right values can benefit your organization.

But how do you convince others on the importance of values – specifically the leaders of your organization?

It doesn’t help that various leaders of many prominent companies have completely disregarded their stated values, proving they are a great big phony. No wonder employees, customers, investors, and even good business leaders can be a bit skeptical about this whole “values thing”.

But values do matter, and can make a huge difference. With the right set of values, communicated properly and continually reinforced, any organization can experience significant benefits.

4 Prudent Benefits

From my experience, here are four prudent benefits that values can provide:

1. Values set strategic direction. They ensure that all stakeholders understand: what is produced or provided; how it gets done; who is involved; where it belongs; and when and why it matters.
2. Values define expected behavior. These are the guiding principles of the organization, outlining what is acceptable and not acceptable (generally selected from the 17 Common Values).
3. Values build competitive differentiation. Well-defined Differentiating Values highlight what is truly unique about an organization; they outline a meaningful purpose; and they increase brand value.
4. Values empower leaders to simplify and focus. Whether someone leads 10 or 10,000 people, clearly defined values help leaders cut through the maze of issues and get everyone aligned around the top priorities.

But what if the leaders in your organization don’t buy into these benefits?

4 Practical Reasons

Here are four practical reasons why values are critical to the growth and sustainability of an organization.

1. Values guide how you hire. While technical expertise is important, hiring people who best fit your organizational culture matters more than anything else. There’s lots of data supporting the fact that hiring someone who doesn’t fit well is very costly, not to mention the toll it can take on other employees. Values provide the key hiring criteria.
2. Values guide how you change behavior. When someone makes a poor decision or behaves in an inappropriate manner, leaders have a powerful tool to provide corrective feedback. Values are the benchmark for establishing acceptable and expected behavior.
3. Values guide how you define culture. The people who work in your organization know what matters most: it’s defined by the key priorities. Maybe it’s innovation, safety, quality, or teamwork. The best way to have an organization that shares the same priorities is to have people who share the same values.
4. Values guide how you make tough decisions. When an organization gets into uncharted territory (which is guaranteed to happen), values provide the decision compass to move forward. When things get difficult, it becomes important for everyone to be willing to step up and fight for what they value. Not surprisingly, values also cause people to willingly make sacrifices they would not normally make.

Values are truly the glue that can hold an organization together in difficult times; on the journey to fulfilling its mission and achieving its vision.

Bonus Recommendation

Finally, if these reasons and benefits are still not enough to convince the leaders of your organization to embrace the power of values, then I suggest asking various employees why values matter to them. Record their answers on video and show your leadership team.

Here’s a great example.

In late 2014, Whole Foods launched its first national advertising campaign under the theme: Values Matter. In one of the videos, called Share the Love, team members share what values mean to them. Near the end of this video, one employee makes a powerful statement:

“Values matter because they are the foundation of what we’re built on.”

If that doesn’t convince your leaders, nothing will (and I then suggest you look for a new place to work).