The Power of Vision and Values

Michele Hunt is one of my lifetime heroes. Recently, I was honoured to interview Michele where she shares her experiences and insights on creating vision and values in various contexts, including her work in a prison, with her mentor Max De Pree at Herman Miller where she was also mentored by Peter Drucker, her time as an Advisor to USA President Clinton, how she facilitated a whole country Vision and Values Program, and with her continuing work serving large organisations today.

In our conversation, Michele emphasises the importance of aligning vision and values with strategic goals, systems, processes, structures, and leadership decisions and behaviors. Michele highlights the power of co-creating a compelling vision that matters to people and liberating them to participate in realising that vision. She also discusses the need to eliminate the term 'human resources' and create environments that enable people to contribute their gifts towards something meaningful.

Our conversation explores the importance of individuals and organisations taking responsibility for creating change and embracing vision and values. We emphasise the need for leaders to change their mental models and think differently about how organisations should operate. We also touch on the topic of diversity and inclusion, highlighting the importance of valuing uniqueness and creating a culture of care.

Michele, having experienced significant racism as a child, but equally empowered by her DreamMaker parents to take responsibility for her herself and her mindset, constantly broke barriers for women and people of colour throughout her career. Michele's perspective about valuing uniqueness is simply beautiful.

We finish with discussing the power of dialogue and storytelling in driving change, along with the idea of love being the core value and organising principle for business and society.

You can view the full interview here:

Key Takeaways Include:

• Creating a compelling vision that matters to people and aligning it with strategic goals, systems, processes, structures, and leadership decisions and behaviors is key to success.
• Eliminating the term 'human resources' and recognizing the importance of language in shaping culture and meaning.
• Engaging people in co-creating vision and values leads to extraordinary results and a sense of ownership and engagement.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted individuals to reflect on what matters most to them and seek meaning in their work. Individuals need to take responsibility for their own growth and development, articulating their vision and values and taking proactive steps towards their goals.
• Organizations need to be vision and value-based, aligning their actions with their stated values and creating a culture of care and inclusion.
• Leaders need to change their mental models and think differently about how organisations should operate, challenging assumptions and embracing diversity and dialogue.
• Dialogue and storytelling are powerful tools for driving change and creating shared understanding and connection.
• Love should be the core value and organizing principle for business and society, transcending fear and creating a more compassionate and inclusive world.