Are Your Core Values Like Your Grandma’s Ornaments?

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What It’s About: I know from painful experience, writing purpose statements, and outlining values that are meaningful, and clearly communicate intent, is really, really hard. I had a great conversation the other day with Patrick Sells, the CEO of the very hip, Quontic Bank. He told me a story about how he tried to make the core values at the bank more accessible in everyday work, by using common language that positively stuck in peoples’ heads. And that’s what thoughtful leadership tries to do when it comes to values. As I have noted many times, we want the values off the walls so that they live in between the walls. Here is how Sells communicates the bank’s core values:

“1. Say Cheese: Be positive, smile, and encourage others.

2. Try It On!: Be adaptive, open to new ideas, and unafraid to embrace change.

3. Progress, Not Perfection: Is what matters – don’t let a desire for perfection prevent progress.

4. Know the Goal: Be intentional to understand what the needed outcome is.”

So What?: Sells and every team at the bank puts their values into daily action As an example, every meeting in the bank starts with positive stories (Say Cheese), and everyone states why they are attending the meeting (Know the Goal). When he and I were discussing ideas and possibilities, his response to me was, “let’s see what we might do “ (Try It On!). If you look at the bank’s innovative deposit products, they are an example of unleashing massive company wide creativity without getting hung up on perfection (Progress not Perfection).

Now What?: Values too often are like your grandma’s outdated porcelain ornaments. They sit in the corner, we walk by them every day, and no one even notices anymore. Is it time to refresh your company core values? How often do you refer to them as part of your ongoing business? What are the positive spotlights or legendary stories that emphasize them? What are the cynicism inducing stories people whisper to make the values look hollow or meaningless?

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

Lorne

One Millennial View: Values aren’t supposed to appear like memes, or a cheap framed portrait you might find in a Walmart bin. They are the fabric of everything you do, what distinguishes your organization from competitors, and should be an exciting accelerant to what happens in the workplace on a daily basis.

- Garrett

Edited and published by Garrett Rubis

Are Your Core Values Like Your Grandma’s Ornaments?

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