Value Approach in Business

Values in Business After discussions with numerous companies, it has become apparent that the business world has tried to take a values approach. Yet, there seems to be a disconnect and misalignment between employees and the business values. At times, business values can feel like empty words and statements on boardroom walls. Often employees cannot remember their company values, and many wonder if they even have any relevancy or truth in their daily work. If you look at Seek, Indeed or Glassdoor, you can see a variety of reviews on companies by their past employees. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction of the employer is being communicated through values. Some low score examples include reviews like, “they are disconnected from their own values, they micro-manage, no support or guidance”, or “this organization does not live their own values. It’s a horrible place to work”. There are plenty of high score examples that read “they are aligned to their values, and this was a great place to work.” I wonder if these companies read their reviews. I wonder if they would be willing to change to live and work true to their stated company values. Our aim is to help CEOs and leadership discover their values and then engage with their employees on how to live and work according to these values. Identifying our own values can help to transform the workplace, culture, productivity, innovation, retention, employee satisfaction and how employees interact with each other. It can also transform your personal life and the relationships around you. Introduction One of the key areas in helping employees to connect with the company’s values is by discovering the values of the leaders and/or managers of the business. Through a series of exercises, we take these core people through what drives their thinking, feelings and behaviors. What do I value compared to what my personal values are can be different. I value good health, financial security, being successful in business, and having a good relationship with family and friends. However, the values that we are looking to discover are more specific. These values are unique to the individual. There are hundreds of values that I have heard people use to describe their personal values. Let’s look at some statements with value words: “When I feel trusted and heard, my self-worth increases.” (Trust and Worth) “I just want someone to validate me.” (Validation) “No one appreciates the work I do. I don’t feel valued.” (Appreciate and Value)