Leaders Review Their Values

Group Dynamic is about to do some restructuring. It will be important to share our plans with our clients, and I will likely write more about lessons learned at a later date.

But right now, I want to reflect about values. I wrote a series about the origin story of our company values and how we implement them. I’m proud of that series and would love for you to read it if you haven’t already.

Our Values

We are accountable, responsive, and timely.

We obsessively over-communicate.

We exceed service expectations.

We execute work of the highest quality.

We are committed to continuous improvement.

Moving Forward

As we prepare to change how our staff operates internally and works with clients externally, I wanted to review our values, their original story, and our brand promises to each other and our clients.

My conclusion:

Our core values aren’t changing. I still believe our current values are what we’re about. But that’s not the end of the story. I’m about to get vulnerable, and it’s tricky for me.

We haven’t been living up to our values lately, and it’s time for that to change. I can make an excuse: we’ve had a staffing issue for a few months now, so we have focused on our top priorities and our top priorities only. The upside is that we have continued to take great care of our clients, I think, which is our top priority.

In other areas, we have not done so well.

The review has been good for me; however, I’m not satisfied.

While we’ve been accountable and responsive, we have not been as timely as I’d like. Right now, people may have to wait a whole day or two for a response. That’s below our standards.

We’ve communicated well. But “over-communicated”? “Obsessively”? No way.

We’ve met service expectations. “Exceeded?” Maybe sometimes.

Our work has been good. But the “highest quality”? I haven’t paid close enough attention.

Continuous improvement? Yes, but just as necessary to scale and have a few more offerings. (New programs: contact us for more information about Multipliers and Unconscious Bias!). Even so, I’m not making enough time to read.

Our noncompliance to our own values is what bothers me most. For a couple months now, we’ve become one of those organizations whose values are loftier on the website than they are in practice, and I’ve spent a lot of my professional life preaching against that.

What’s next?

Our staffing structure, roles, and responsibilities were perfect for 2019 but not for 2022. As such, we’re in the process of thoughtfully reviewing those roles. It’s urgent, so we’re moving somewhat fast; and it’s important, so we’re not rushing too much. The reorganization needs to be “of the highest quality” if it’s going to be beneficial. 

A printed copy of our values will be in front of us in every decision we make. We will consider changes, and for each change, we will ask ourselves, “Will this move better enable us to live up to our values?”

So, what’s the lesson for you?

I hope that by sharing you are compelled to consider your own values.

• Have I really looked at our values and taken a hard look in the mirror? Are they loftier in print than they are in practice?
• Do our values still fit our organization in the year 2022?
• What can we do as a team to make sure we are true to what we believe and are set to move into the future?

I’d love to hear your stories. Please don’t leave me hanging out to dry as the only one taking a tough look in the mirror.

What’s up with you, your values, and your plans for the future?