A Case For Core Values and A Short Manual for Leaders

Chapter 1

If the universe is at any time what you say it is then say it..

James Burke, the famous British science historian said these famous words in 1984 but these somehow seem truer today than in 80’s. Afterall, Dunning Krueger effect notwithstanding, thanks to digital media, today there are millions of us creating our unique versions of the singular universe by saying it out loud and are finding many takers instantly through single click ‘likes’ & ‘retweets’.

Social media has revolutionized human connections but on the flip side it has been the biggest conveyor of the virus of ‘Post Truth’. It has turned the traditional view of ‘good values’ on its head by instantly creating jumbo sized cohorts of people who would justify an evil post by liking, retweeting, or sharing. What happened to good old values? The ones that were taught to us in school, you know, the simple ones -honesty, not lying, not stealing, not hurting, helping others yada yada yada.

It is easy to assume that no one believes in much now a days yet nothing is farther from the truth!!

Let’s dig deeper.

Values are defined as ideas or principles that determine what is correct, desirable, or morally proper. Of course, all religions are based on good vs bad distinction and if you are an atheist then you are stuck with what Sam Harris calls a ‘value problem’. He argues brilliantly for a case of ‘objective moral values’ from an atheist point of view in his seminal work ‘The Moral Landscape’. You can read about his beautiful work and equally brilliant critique here -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moral_Landscape

Philosophy aside, theist or not, we all know that there is a moral construct woven in every social construct around us – job, family, relationships etc. with an unsaid attempt to create order:??don’t steal, don’t kill, say the truth, acknowledge your mistake, help others etc..?

Call it conditioning or just an evolved trait to save communities, most of us believe in values even at a sub conscious level. We want the good guys to win in movies, we cringe when there is a vulgar display of wealth, we cry when we get cheated on, we want to do charity & didn’t we all wish King Joffrey to die in Game of Thrones! On the flip side, that is probably why there is so much ‘virtue signaling’ as well where in this age of hyper sharing, so many of us want to declare that we stand for something, that we are still free and have our agency intact.

Cynicism aside, there is obviously a much deeper case for values –

1.?They make us free and resilient. In some ways, to strongly believe in something as inherently good means free will even if the odds are against you. Think Gandhi, MLK, Rosa Parks & Mandela.

2.??They make us connect and feel less lonely in this big scary world. Think empathy, care & trust. This is how we come together!

3.?They restraint the powerful. Think compassion, kindness, humility!

4.?They save us from harmful expediency or subservience. Think speaking truth to power, big corporate frauds and whistleblowers!

5.?They make the world an interesting and joyous place. Imagine if we all believed in ‘not much’ ! All art will die, no inspiring passions will exist to follow, and the monotony of the world will be stifling.

6.?They protect ‘social, civic & cultural’ from tyranny of Capital. Think big companies and ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) frameworks. Think various campaign finance laws around the world.

Chapter II

So how do values play in an organization??

You know the answer if you have read the book ‘Built to Last’ by Jim Collins. If you haven’t then this article by same author will give you a good idea -

https://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/building-companies.html

There are many case studies of great organizations using their core values as a great rallying point to accentuate their EVP on Play, Purpose, and Potential - the triad which is at the core of high performance. Yet most companies and leaders, despite having defined a set of core values, fail in exploiting the full potential of such a powerful idea.?

Here is how C suite can fix it -?

1.?Mean it even if it’s painful! ‘Integrity’ was one of the four core values of Enron and Volkswagen’s mission statement was ‘we act with integrity’. You get the point! If you don’t mean it but fancy your values as cool artwork on your walls and in annual reports for shareholders, then you are creating a structural stress in the organization which will continue to weaken all controls in the organization.

Living with your core-values will be painful at times and the hurt is often personal at the highest level. As a CEO you and your ‘in-group’ shall be constantly watched, and you may even feel massively constrained at times but that only means that organizations’ core-values are working.

2.?Say it often and show it every day through your actions! Every turnaround story is a story of the new leader re-discovering (seldom re-defining) core values of the organization that are seeped into its history, its traditions and yet lead it to where the organization is capable of going.

?Gandhi said -

"Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny."

As a leader if you don’t explicitly bring core values to life every day, you are not enabling the organization to form game changer habits. It’s a colossal opportunity miss to use one of the simplest levers that a CEO can use. Here is a fabulous one on the subject -

https://hbr.org/1991/01/the-turnaround-value-of-values

3.?Differentiate between core and aspirational values! This one is tricky. If you wish to be more diverse, you can’t declare ‘Diversity & Inclusion’ as your core value, if you want to execute faster, you can’t declare ‘speed’ as your core value.

Unless one is just starting, a company already has a unique culture, and most goodness of that culture comes from its core-values - defined or not. It requires a deep understanding of company’s history, its wins and failures, its relationship with customers and its status in market to figure what has worked for the company thus far and what is that its people are most proud about. Crack the code, say it loud, persist with it and see the magic unfold.?

4.?Integrate them in your processes! Using a Cricket analogy – this one is a sitter! If you know what clicks, then you should go all out to get more of that. You hire, promote, motivate, retain people who have aligned values. You leverage every process to tell the story of your core values and why they are important. It is impossible to overdo on this one.

In the era of over-exposure and instant labeling, it is natural to fear being called out for posturing. Leaders need to go beyond this vulnerability and stand true to their convictions. Then on the other hand there is this problem of success breeding spite and making leaders arrogant to the extent that they start confusing their individual beliefs as organization’s core values.This is why having a coach helps as a good coach often saves leaders from their own narcissism. Get that coach! But if you are a leader who has just been busy in running the company then please spare some time to explore the idea of core values more deeply – you might be missing a big one there!