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Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.
Our exploration of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", continues with the eighth secret: Culture and Values which includes: Core Values, Alignment, and The Science Behind Values.
Values enable people to confidently make decisions in the absence of any other guidance and know they are going to achieve their goals in a manner consistent with the expectations and behavioral norms of their organization. Values help an organization perform in the absence of the leader.
Core Values
"My fundamental beliefs and core values are what matter. Everyone is different, so I have to be a role model for the way I want people to act in my company. Not only that, I must talk about these values and make them real for my employees. I want to encourage people to embrace these values and make them their own, at least while they are at work. But my values extend beyond work." - John Russell, Captain USMC.
Alignment
Another power of values is in the recruiting process. If the values of your organization are clearly stated, people may decide early in the process that they do not want to work for you.
When a person comes to your firm as a candidate for employment, the person is evaluating you as much as you are evaluating him or her. Values are important here. If you embody values in your organization and work group, talk about them in the interview. When you hand potential new employees that paper and talk about what those words mean in practice, then candidates get a clear picture. They either see themselves in that picture or they do not.
The alignment process enables people to understand "how we do things around here". They may know the details of the job from their last place, but now they know the details of the way people do it at your firm.
It is our culture. We hire the right people, who are aggressive about the business. Everyone knows the business goals. They know what it means to them for us to grow. We communicate in memos, voicemail, video, one-on-ones, and every other way we can. This consistency of communication is essential to a good culture.
When someone operates outside the values structure, it is the duty of the leaders of the organization to address the behavior - when a breach of values is observed, if it is not addressed, the values structure of the company is damaged and over the long-term can degrade with marked impact.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the leader to give people a reason for being there and to continue to be there.
The Science Behind Values
Suffice it to say, for our purposes, the data shows three basic ways of causing people to perform tasks:
- Formal Authority
- Use of Reinforcement (positive and negative)
- Emotional Influence
Summary
People are looking for meaning in their work and in their lives. As a leader, your articulation of values is an important step in providing that meaning. And in that meaning is the genesis of loyalty and productivity.
I would say that the values of your organization are the basic bedrock upon which success will be built. But these values have currency not only if everyone knows what they are but lives them as well. The only possible way for people to know the values of your organization is for you to talk about them, model them, and integrate them into every action and decision you make.
Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc
