I am fascinated when I go into a business; I love to spot what does and doesn\’t work. I am a big fan of Alex Polizzi, The Fixer.
We were away at the weekend and en route stopped off for lunch. As we approached the eatery, it said, ‘[County]’s Warmest Welcome’, there were also signs saying, ‘Eat, Drink, Snooze’. This set up certain expectations about what it would be like inside.
We were greeted by a man who looked rushed off his feet, ignored us and then proceeded to bark instructions at his staff.
The furniture was far from snooze-inducing, with one chair made out of a tree branch. Nor was the music: James Bond theme tunes.
Staff seemed unsure about the menu and on two occasions tried to clarify with the owner, who again was very short with them. I wasn’t feeling relaxed just yet!
I then overheard a customer ask where the toilets were and the lady proprietor said in a sarcastic tone: ‘Yes I know where the toilets are thanks very much!’ I was shocked. This wasn\’t the warm welcome promised at the entrance.
That said, it isn\’t uncommon for businesses to aspire to be something in a Vision or set of Values, only to be let down by behaviour that is incongruent. For example years ago I was invited to critique a Vision & Values presentation. The boss stood up and spoke about their aspirations to change, which included ‘Technology’ as one of their new values. However, this was undermined when he later told a story about refusing to use digital dictation.
How To Align Behaviour To Business Values:
- Explore and define what each Value really means in terms of expected behaviour. Agree a definition amongst the leadership team.
- Ensure that the leaders’ behaviour is congruent with the values, as the saying goes: ‘Monkey see, monkey do’. Staff follow leaders’ behaviour unconsciously. As a leadership team, agree to regularly challenge one another when behaviour is out of line.
- If a leader is struggling to align their behaviour to the Corporate Values, offer coaching.
- Recognise behaviours in line with the values; I’ve known some businesses award prizes.
- Keep talking about the values; the worst thing you can do is get fancy posters printed which nobody understands or refers to. Staff then become suspicious of change initiatives.
- Measure value-based behaviour through your performance management system / appraisal.
- Recruit and induct new staff in line with the values.
To find out how we can help click here
