Actual for You - Values: The Importance Of Walking The Talk

This recurring leadership issue has caused me to write this month about the importance of conducting yourself and your business with integrity. Since what we tolerate has the tendency to grow, leadership ultimately predicts whether values are lived or simply espoused.

In the last few years most companies have recognized the importance of documenting their values. Some have gone to great lengths in detailing what would be ideal behavior but it is still the rare company who has leaders who actually walk the talk.

The quality of interactions between a manager and his/her staff is what drives the quality of the products and services. The number one success factor for any manager is their "relationships with subordinates". Studies continue to show that the most important reason executives derail in their careers is their insensitivity and inability to understand the perspectives of others. As Stephen Covey would say, "Good managers seek to understand rather than focusing on being understood."

Managers must recognize that their number one job function is to treat all employees with warmth, dignity and respect. As I have often said, "Everyone has the desire to be heard and have their opinions acknowledged. It is not necessary for leaders to agree or accommodate these positions, but rather it is essential to respectfully acknowledge and hear what is being said."

Many organizations seem to forget the connection between customers, employees, and financial results. The best companies are able to get extraordinary results because they lead with people-centered values. Clear values come first. Building trust comes second. A big misconception is that you create core values -- actually you discover them. You do not deduce them by looking at the external environment. You understand core values by looking inside - by discovering what is important to the organization and its people.

If a company has taken the time to outline its values, they probably consume five or six written pages. Take those pages and reduce them to four or five key elements that best define the culture you want to reinforce. Here are some ideas:

• Mutual respect
• Commitment
• Cooperation
<
Choosing a Career
Many youngsters are completely baffled when they are asked what they would like to do after college. It is a question, which is very commonly asked to which many find no proper answer. This state is not abnormal or a matter of discredit if one finds himself or herself in a similar situation.From a very young age that is from the time a child is admitted to a school he or she is bound in a routine as decided by the authorities of the educational institute. It is by following the routine and the already imposed syllabus that the child has to perform. Thus the practice of self-assessment doesn’t arise as to whether the child can manage to maintain the routine and perform as per guidelines already imposed upon them.Thus when the inevitable time comes when the child is suddenly set free to decide as to what he or she would like to take up as a career a sudden helplessness develops. Further it is the constant pressure of faring we
zed the importance of documenting their values. Some have gone to great lengths in detailing what would be ideal behavior but it is still the rare company who has leaders who actually walk the talk.

The quality of interactions between a manager and his/her staff is what drives the quality of the products and services. The number one success factor for any manager is their "relationships with subordinates". Studies continue to show that the most important reason executives derail in their careers is their insensitivity and inability to understand the perspectives of others. As Stephen Covey would say, "Good managers seek to understand rather than focusing on being understood."

Managers must recognize that their number one job function is to treat all employees with warmth, dignity and respect. As I have often said, "Everyone has the desire to be heard and have their opinions acknowledged. It is not necessary for leaders to agree or accommodate these positions, but rather it is essential to respectfully acknowledge and hear what is being said."

Many organizations seem to forget the connection between customers, employees, and financial results. The best companies are able to get extraordinary results because they lead with people-centered values. Clear values come first. Building trust comes second. A big misconception is that you create core values -- actually you discover them. You do not deduce them by looking at the external environment. You understand core values by looking inside - by discovering what is important to the organization and its people.

If a company has taken the time to outline its values, they probably consume five or six written pages. Take those pages and reduce them to four or five key elements that best define the culture you want to reinforce. Here are some ideas:

• Mutual respect
• Commitment
• Cooperation
<
Micro Entrepreneurs
Micro entrepreneurs are the owners of small businesses that have fewer than five employees and have startup costs of less than $35,000 and annual revenue of less than $100,000. There are nearly 21.5 million micro entrepreneurs in the U.S. Examples of micro entrepreneurs are owners of bakeries, beauty parlors, child care facilities, repair shops, arts and crafts shops, painting businesses, contracting businesses, family-owned shops, auto body shops, small-scale restaurants, and small-inventory trading businesses.Micro entrepreneurs face many hurdles in getting startup financing, and they sometimes lack the skills necessary to manage the financial aspect of their business. As a result, many micro entrepreneurs cannot grow and develop their business beyond a micro enterprise. Various micro enterprise development programs have helped micro entrepreneurs achieve great success and growth. These micro enterprise development programs have
nd rather than focusing on being understood."

Managers must recognize that their number one job function is to treat all employees with warmth, dignity and respect. As I have often said, "Everyone has the desire to be heard and have their opinions acknowledged. It is not necessary for leaders to agree or accommodate these positions, but rather it is essential to respectfully acknowledge and hear what is being said."

Many organizations seem to forget the connection between customers, employees, and financial results. The best companies are able to get extraordinary results because they lead with people-centered values. Clear values come first. Building trust comes second. A big misconception is that you create core values -- actually you discover them. You do not deduce them by looking at the external environment. You understand core values by looking inside - by discovering what is important to the organization and its people.

If a company has taken the time to outline its values, they probably consume five or six written pages. Take those pages and reduce them to four or five key elements that best define the culture you want to reinforce. Here are some ideas:

• Mutual respect
• Commitment
• Cooperation
<
How to Handle Criticism in an Interview
Being criticised is something we all do as humans, though there is nothing wrong with this per se, it is how you do it that’s important. In Bob Burg’s amazing book ”Wining Without Intimidation” he says: “kiss ‘em before you kick ‘em” if only all managers use this technique they would get far greater results from their workers.The problem with being criticised is that it can create some of the worst feelings any human can have as it strikes out the core of your confidence. And so you need to prepare for this and be able to deal with whatever is put your way.People in positions of power often like to feel important and exercise that power often against another person’s well being. Now, any descent manager or wise person will realise you gain nothing from putting people down, in life you receive according to what you give and most ‘big’ people realise this.But in an interview situation where you can be subjected to the m
g>Clear values come first. Building trust comes second. A big misconception is that you create core values -- actually you discover them. You do not deduce them by looking at the external environment. You understand core values by looking inside - by discovering what is important to the organization and its people.

If a company has taken the time to outline its values, they probably consume five or six written pages. Take those pages and reduce them to four or five key elements that best define the culture you want to reinforce. Here are some ideas:

• Mutual respect
• Commitment
• Cooperation
• Listening
• Promoting teamwork
• Soliciting feedback

It is not enough to articulate values and to put them into formal company literature. Every supervisor, manager, and senior executive should be able to rhyme them off. To work they need to be 'living values' that show up in the day to day operations. Their purpose is to act as a powerful social control system. They form the basis of organizational culture in which people share expectations which guide behaviors. Randomly testing your managers will give you a good indication of whether your company values are alive and well.

Defining values, more often than not, becomes an intellectual exercise. However reasonable this may appear, it is likely only exciting for those engaged in the exercise. It does nothing for those who are in charge of managing people. All too often, the criteria has been made at the rational level and they have left people's hearts behind. To get 'buy-in' you must address both the head and the heart.

In our example, Carl's manager has not followed through on what the company espouses as acceptable behavior. What they have tolerated has grown. The organization talks about putting people first but their actions show they put business first. There are a few options. They can do a 360 and get feedback to support their contention; they can do a performance appraisal outlining the need for improvement, they can get Carl an executive coach to help him gain insight into how his behavior is inhibiting his advancement or he can be dismissed. If he is dismissed, you can be sure his successor will display different behavior not to mention anyone else who may be doubting the company's commitment to values.

What do People-Centered Companies Do?

According to Pfeffer and O'Reilly in Hidden Value, three common themes underlie the things that successful companies do to develop and tap the potential of their people:

• The company has a clear, well-articulated set of values that are the foundation for management practices that provide for the company's competitive success.
• The company has a remarkable degree of alignment and consistency in the people-centered practices that express its core values. They hire, fire, and promote based of these values.

Senior managers in these companies (not just the founders or the CEO) are leaders whose primary role is to ensure that the values are maintained and constantly made real to all of the people who work in the organization.

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