Have values made you their B.I.T.C.H.?

Confession; I have enabled multiple clients in the wasting of their time, more than once. For years, when I was asked to facilitate brainstorms to help companies find their values, I said 'yes'.

And guess what they all discovered? That whether you're a farmer or you're in pharma, whether you manufacture soft drinks or hard drugs, there are exactly five values to choose from. And they are:

• Bravery (sometimes courage or boldness)
• Innovation (or creativity if innovation's not innovative enough)
• Trust
• Collaboration (also known as openness)
• Honesty (also known as integrity)

So yes, funny acronym. I've probably popped that up in the title, haven't I? But it’s a funny acronym disguising a serious problem. Because if your values are the same as everyone else's then they become meaningless. They're not differentiating, they're homogenising.

There's a simple solution, a happy values-adjacent place where GIG tries to lead clients these days. Define your values by all means, but then take that fun, short extra step towards meaningful expression of those values by turning them into behaviours.

Values + Voice + Culture = Behaviour.

It’s the second and third parts of that that make behaviours interesting, because they’re unique. Here’s how it works; if you're honest. Well, great, but so’s everyone else (if you believe them). So… if you're also a healthcare communications consultancy with Good in its name and its blood, then enshrine honesty in a governing behaviour, something like... BE GOOD.

And if you're into Innovation, but you're also London's best collective of healthcare-expert content-focused creative minds, then maybe MAKE IT BETTER is something your team and your clients can sign up to more.

And finally if you’re into Collaboration and Trust, then ASK QUESTIONS might be a good way to express that in a way that your 22 talented, on-trend employees can actually act upon when receiving a brief; it says ‘you’re allowed to challenge that if you see a better way.’

We love behaviours at GIG. They're a chance for an organisation to express itself as well as its values. They're fun. They're open. They can change with the winds. They also have a habit of cropping up in actual conversations about actual decisions, where they can have an actual impact in defining the future.

So don't let values make you boring. Just behave.

Article written by Tim Gomersall.