Cultural Values - Your Organizational Anchors

The Cultural Compass

The importance of clearly defining and communicating your cultural values can't be understated. When we talk about "fit" in human resources it comes down to two things.

Can you do the job?

Are you a strong fit for what we're all about here?

You can be the best at what you do, but if you aren't aligned with how we do it the relationship won't last. You can be completely sold on what we're all about, but if you aren't competent at the job, it will be a short ride. In human resources back in the day we called this organizational fit, and that terminology has now evolved to company or cultural values; but the principle remains the same. Your values are the ties that bind your talent. If your mission encapsulates why we're here, your vision sets your direction for where you're aspiring to go, and the values represent the expected behaviors.

Values alignment is exceedingly important to job seekers these days. If you haven't defined them, you are behind the curve. People will be willing to figure out how to pick up the skill set they need to work for your organization when they are bought into your values. If you are like me, you have likely worked for a lot of employers that had values which spoke to you, but perhaps not all of them. As you build enough proficiency and work experience in your career to have a lot of employment options, you start to find yourself in the position of being more selective in your employment choice. I can do this about anywhere now. Why would I want to do it for you?

At some point, it's important to start taking a personal inventory of your values. A good friend and mentor of mine earlier in my career only espoused two: ownership and accountability. Every time we'd present in front of our team, he would discuss what those principles meant to him.

Accountability [uh-koun-tuh-bil-i-tee ] - the acceptance of responsibility for honest and ethical conduct towards others. In the corporate world, a company's accountability extends to its shareholders, employees, and the wider community in which it operates.

Ownership [own-your-shi*] - Taking ownership is about taking initiative. We take ownership when we believe that taking action is not someone else's responsibility. You, as an individual, are accountable for the quality and timeliness of an outcome, even when you're working with others.

If you have worked on or around a lot of executive teams you have probably known a leader quick to throw someone else under the bus behind closed doors to protect their own hide, or maybe they were railroading another executive because of their own unbridled ambition and desire for advancement, but never out in the light of day. Very few things are more destructive to a team than that behavior and that bleeds through the rest of your organization. Trust erodes and the team becomes highly dysfunctional.

Ownership and accountability have become non-negotiables for me. Part of starting my own business was so I could live those values out wholeheartedly. Being an entrepreneur is the ultimate practice in ownership and accountability. There is nobody to blame but you if your business fails.

Another which has emerged for me is authenticity.

Authenticity [ aw-then-tis-i-tee, aw-thuhn- ] - not false or copied; genuine; real.

Be completely true to yourself and leave your masks at home. That's another huge part of building a brand. You get to be you. I don't know how you can really run any successful business without those three things. The absence of even one of them can crumble a successful organization.

Bring Them to Life

A well-constructed human capital function figures out a way to weave your cultural values into every aspect of your daily working life. Your strategy should incorporate them into the fabric of every human resources process from how you recruit, select, reward, evaluate, and ultimately exit someone from the employee life cycle.

How you live those values when you show up may in some ways outweigh your job performance. If you are a great cultural fit but struggling in your current role your organization will most likely find you another seat, if not create one for you.

What are your values? Are they aligned with your current employer? Does your leadership team demonstrate them daily or pay them lip service? Are your values ingrained in your organization or just words on a wall?

If you are seeking help on improving your company culture, or could