The Price of Entry...
Going beyond the corporate rhetoric of values.
Oh, the age-old dance of declaring values!
Ever notice how everyone's quick to plaster them up on a wall, but not so quick to lead, live and love them?
Yeah, let’s dive into that—headfirst.
Welcome to the discussion on S.H.I.T. values—Service, Honesty, Integrity, Trust.
Catchy acronym, right? But let’s peel back the layers on why just saying these words might as well be shouting into the void.
Ok, I can already hear you saying"
"They are important values Dave. Why are you calling them sh!t?"
Now, don’t get me wrong. I'm not here to bash these fundamental virtues. After all, who would argue against the merits of honesty or the importance of trust? No, my quarrel isn't with the values themselves, but with their often decorative use in the corporate world.
To me these are the price of entry into being a good human, or a good business.
It's like having a cafe and saying we have the best quality coffee. Isn't quality coffee the price of entry into having a cafe?
Redundancy in Revelation
Think about it: if you’re in the service industry and tout service as a value, isn’t that just stating the obvious? It’s like a fish bragging about its swimming skills—it’s literally what they do.
It should be a given, not a headline.
This redundancy dilutes the impact. When a service-based business boasts about valuing service, it's not enlightening; it’s an echo in the mountains—repetitive and expected.
If you are in the service industry and you tell me you values service, I'll be like...
"No shit? A service-based business that values service? My mind is blown!"
The Suspicion in Stating the Obvious
Moving on to honesty, trust, and integrity. Now, if you have to proclaim these qualities loudly and often, it raises an eyebrow. Why the need to assert something that should be as natural as breathing?
If you have to tell me you are honest, it makes me wonder...
"Who are you trying to convince that you honest?"
I'd wager a bet that if we ran through the value statements of the Fortune 500 companies, they’d be littered with these values. But here’s a thought—when something is everywhere, it becomes invisible.
"The more commonplace your values are, the less believable they are." - a #Clarism
Ouch, right? But true.
Beyond the Buzzwords
So, what’s the fix?
How do we move past this tired script to something that genuinely resonates and differentiates? It’s about diving deep into the unique ethos of your business.
What is the soul and DNA of your company?
If your business were a person, what would be its most striking thoughts and beliefs?
Crafting Authenticity
This isn't about scrapping the foundational values of service, honesty, integrity, and trust. No, it's about embedding these values so deeply in the DNA of your actions that they don't need to be spelled out—they're self-evident.
They become less like badges of honour and more like the air the company breathes.
In essence, it’s time we moved beyond the bumper stickers and placards of values and walked into the narrative of unique, authentic actions. Don’t just tell me what you value—show me in ways I can’t ignore. Make it so inherent, so embedded, so unmistakably integral to your operations that, like the sun in the sky, no one needs to point it out for it to be undeniable.
Why People Buy From You
Simon Sinek popularised something many of us knew, which is...that people buy why you do what you do. However, speaking of myself for this one and only time in the third person, Dave Clare will tell you...
"That your values are why they buy it from you!"
So if your values sound just like everyone else's, what makes you unique and relevant to me? Well, it should be the way you THINK ABOUT why you do what you do.
Your values are the unique thinking of your business.
So, shall we begin the real work?
It's time to lead different.
Together we can...
#EvolveTheWorldOfWork
Dave Clare, Chief Evolution Officer
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Here's to our crazy ones...
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This is for you.
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A nice piece in the puzzle of building great businesses ??