Critical Path Consulting, LLC ™

Are your organizational values represented in a  few words on the back of a name badge or are they the alignment to how work gets done?  It is strange that in a family setting we realize the importance of values.  We can not possibly create a list of how our children should address every challenge they will face in their life.  In fact, we cannot  create a list of how they should react to the challenges they will face today.  So, we attempt to teach them values.  Those values form the basis of acceptable and unacceptable behavior.  At a family level we know that, however, at the organizational level, with many more team members, decisions and challenges, we often neglect the importance of values.  Values at the enterprise level should guide HOW everyone goes about their work.  Of course, this requires that we actually identify those critical values.  Then we must incorporate these values into the organization.  Start with using values to hire, through carefully crafted value and behavior-based interview questions.  Add reflection to values as part of our job descriptions.  Include values as part of our orientation training and most importantly, include values as part of our ongoing team discussions.  As with our families, values are critical in our organization.  If we create a thoughtful inclusion of values in the day to day operations values can become a definitive, distinctive and aligning force in our organization.  At the end of the day, our values can form a critical market place differentiator and save us tens to hundred of thousands in poor decisions,  poor behaviors and mishires that do no "fit" with the organization.