Lessons Learned About Values
Wakefield Agency
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When you stay in relationships with people long enough, you learn things about them. You learn enough to characterize them with objects or animals that describe them effectively. Our eldest, we call our monkey, as he likes to climb me like a tree and loves laughter. Our youngest, we call our ox, as he just plows through our willpower at times (but it's getting better :D). I would characterize my lovely wife as a drill. Why would I characterize her as such? I'm glad you asked. I'll explain.
With their unwavering determination to achieve their purpose, Drills is a fitting comparison for Donna. She, too, is resolute in her pursuits, especially when it comes to things she holds dear. Once she identifies something as important, she drills down on it, never wavering until the task is complete.
One of the things Donna is unwaveringly committed to is values. During the early days of her values-based leadership course at Royal Roads University in Victoria, we discussed values every day. It was projects, or it was values. Values this, values that. I was so saturated with values, I felt like I was regurgitating them.
Despite my initial fatigue from the constant discussion of values, I began to see their importance when Donna started implementing them in our company. I saw how they became an integral part of our identity, providing another crucial aspect of the 'why' behind Wakefield.
Values have been such a North Star for us, and given where we are today, values have been indispensable in how we run things at Wakefield. Donna will speak more on values, but as more of the integrator (EOS lingo) in our company, I will speak to the importance of values for us and how they have been integrated into our company's operations. I see values guiding three significant areas in our company:
These three major areas have overlap, so you’ll see some aspects bleeding through the different buckets.
Values Guide The Building of Culture
By now, we know that culture eats strategy for breakfast, right? But, beyond a catchy statement, how did we see this work out? I would say the difference between strategy and culture is that strategy is how we’re going to achieve our goals, and culture is how we’re going to feel about each other during work and how we’ll feel about work. Strategy is about delivery, and culture is about the environment that cultivates the delivery.
We’ve built an environment that’s allowed for close collaboration and co-creation. Our values of authenticity allow for a safe space to talk about how we truly feel about ideas and direction, while also fostering a sense of connection, even though we are a full remote team, making each of us feel included and part of the team.
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Values Guide Who’s Part of The Team
In the NHL, you hear the expression “best player available” during the draft. Every team gets a turn to pick players, and even though every team has needs at different positions if a good forward is available at the time the team is picking, it’s the best player at that point in time that gets picked—in theory.
For businesses, you’d think that’d also be the case, selecting the best candidate available based on their skill set and track record. But in reality, it doesn’t always work out that way. The best player might not jive well with the rest of the locker room, and the best candidate might not fit the team.
We’ve experienced this in varying degrees of severity. Sometimes, some super-talented people were on the team, but their misfit with the culture we wanted was so severe that it disrupted not just the chemistry and emotional harmony of the team but also its very function. Sometimes, people didn’t fit the culture slightly, and that presented certain speed bumps at times but didn’t really affect the overall functioning of the team.
We’ve seen the effect of players who look good on paper but actually don’t gel well with the rest of the team. Even though the player may have good stats, the effect on team culture is detrimental. The team suffers if the coaching staff can’t shape the player for the culture. And what’s true in sports is true in companies.
Values Guide The Way We Work
Nowhere have I seen this more than at Wakefield: our values are the compass for how we work. The way we treat each other, the way we treat our clients, the way we communicate with everyone, and the way we deliver projects have been founded upon the bedrock of values.
Our projects are not just about creating content, but about crafting stories that inspire change. We aim to move our audiences to reconsider their lives, their perspectives, and their treatment of others and the planet. Our work is not just a job; it's a way to leave a positive mark on the world.
How we treat each other, communicate, and support one another is a direct correlation of living out "Alongside" and "Authenticity." We craft messaging, striving for a story that is true rather than a good spin on a story that isn't.
Wrapping It Up
I don’t think Wakefield would be the same without the values we built. It took a ton of time and intention to build them out, collaborating and co-creating together, but it was worth it. As a result, the team unity and culture have created a great working environment and produced excellent work. I can safely say my pride in our work and team is built upon the strong foundation of values.