Trevor Johnson is a senior consultant at Impact North America
Do people at your organisation know what your values are? Do you know what theirs are?
Our unique values fingerprint
Values underlie almost everything we say and do. And they operate on multiple levels: from our personal values and the values of others around us, to the collective values of the systems we are part of, such as our organisations, cultures, communities, and societies.
Every time we act and interact, we are being influenced by values – whether they’re ours or not. They go to the heart of what it means to be human, and exploring values is a great way to start fostering a human-centred approach.
Deepening self-awareness
Values can range from accountability to individualism, generosity to efficiency, empathy to power. Whatever they are, they are some of the building blocks of our identity and are fundamental to our beliefs.
Our values underpin our unique perspectives and behaviours; and they also inform our biases, assumptions and beliefs. We call these our ‘lower-case truths’ – things that are true for us but not necessarily for others. Upper-case Truths, on the other hand, are objective and universal. This distinction is important because many of us unknowingly tend to regard our personal values (lower-case truths) as universal truths (upper-case Truths), which is often at the heart of judgement and conflict. Getting curious about the deeper values that underlie our perspectives and assumptions, and regarding them as true for us but not necessarily true for others, is important work for growing self-awareness – as well as acceptance of others.
At an organisational level, leaders will often decide on and communicate the core values of the organisation, but will reward or model behaviours that are not aligned with those values. This can cause employees to feel that their leaders or the organisation is not living in integrity with their values, which leads to a loss of trust. Our behaviours show our true values more than our words.
Living in integrity with our values means actively practicing them and ensuring that our actions are always in alignment. Strong human-centred cultures are nurtured when organisations and leaders prioritise this work and use their true values as a north star, making a series of small everyday choices and shifts to reflect and honour them. Ideally, we are working at organisations where the behaviours of our leaders align with the expressed values of the organisation, and where we feel our personal values are not in conflict with the organisation’s values. In my opinion, a truly human-centred organisation identifies and aligns with values that are inclusive and is able to create an environment where a diverse range of personal values can be expressed and respected.
Taking a values lens
Using values as a lens to examine the situations we find ourselves in can unlock new understandings and perspectives. Here are three examples, across the individual, team and organisational level:
- An individual experiencing frustration after attending a meeting in which others did not do any prior reading around the topic of discussion, might find that one of their values is preparation or resourcefulness. They may discover that this tension stems from the fact that their colleagues do not share this value, and that they have different ways of learning and operating.
- Two team members with a fractious relationship may find it easier to work together if they understood the values they were each bringing to the table. When considered in isolation, behaviours and perspectives can easily be judged. But when understood in a values context, it’s easier to find empathy and uncover new pathways forward.
- And on a broader, organisational level, an individual struggling to find a sense of belonging, or who feels like they are being judged as a low performer, might find that their values fundamentally clash with those that the organisation upholds and imposes on its employees.
On multiple levels, our values are always at play. They shape our expectations and judgments of others. This can leave certain individuals precariously positioned, with too much distance between personal and organisational values potentially leading to burnout and erasure. Whilst a clear purpose and values set is important for organisational culture, the key is making sure that this culture can also accommodate difference, empowering individuals to find belonging for themselves within the broader framework of what the organisation believes in.
What values are at play in your life?
Getting curious around the interaction between different sets of values – ours, our colleagues’, and those of our teams and organisations – can be a powerful catalyst for growth and performance. This work deepens our empathy, awareness and relationships, thereby boosting our ability to learn, collaborate and innovate together. It also increases our capacity to take effective leadership action.
Reflect on the values you interact with in your organisation using the following questions:
- Think of a time when you have felt successful at work. What had you done, or what had happened, to make you feel this way? What could this definition of success tell you about your values or about the values of your organisation?
- Consider a colleague who you find challenging to work with. What values could be underpinning their behaviours and perspectives? How does this expand your understanding of them? What could you do differently to improve your relationship?
- Reflect on the behaviours and actions that tend to be celebrated or rewarded in your workplace. What could this tell you about the collective values of the organisation? Are they the same as the ones the organisation claims to hold?
The muscle of curiosity
All of this starts with curiosity. So, practise entering every encounter with an assumption of difference, not sameness. Remember that personal values are lower-case truths – they are true for the individual but not necessarily for others. Be open to different opinions and points of view. And show interest and respect for the core values people hold; they are what make us human.
The more we can build awareness of our own values, and the more we can get curious about the values of others, the more we can create cultures and environments that celebrate individuality and accelerate growth and performance.
What could be more human-centred than this?
Find out more about our human-centred approach