Celebrate your values and do the right thing

It was the first day of a two-day training programme and I was all set and raring to go.  

As I was having breakfast with the organisation’s CEO, my phone rang. It was one of the delegates explaining that, due to a family situation, he was unable to attend the first day of training but intended to be there for day two.

I thanked him for letting me know and wished him and his family well. When I ended the call, the CEO asked who it was. I explained the colleague’s personal circumstances.

You need to understand at this point that this organisation strongly values full attendance. The CEO told me, “it’s not good enough, phone them back”. I chose not to.

The following day, I spoke to the colleague and asked how they were and if everything was alright at home. It was all good. 

Now, over 18 months later, the person has become a valued and high performing leader in the business. I wonder if this would still have been the case if I had done as the CEO asked?

This story teaches us a lot about the importance of having organisational values and living them in everything you do.

Health, Respect and Integrity 

These are Zest for Life’s core values. We live our values every day whether working with a client, customer, colleague or in our personal life. Our values lead us to do the right thing.

In the story above, I respected the colleague’s personal circumstances and prioritised their health and wellbeing. And it paid off.

Zest for Life is all about people. These days, nurturing and caring for people in your life and at work has never been more important. Our recent 10th birthday celebrations reinforced the true value of people to our business. It’s been great to re-connect with people we’ve not seen for a while, who have been influential in our success (some will also be part of our future success). I thanked them for all they have contributed and enjoyed revisiting some key moments in our story.

Celebrating health as a key focus

The pandemic has heightened the focus on health and wellbeing. Protecting our health is the number one priority for all of us - now and in the future. Our physical, mental, emotional and environmental health really does need to be core to everything we do.

Rapid business growth or enforced downsizing due to Covid-19 can impact on you and your team in ways you didn’t expect. In redundancy situations, for example, the impact on the people left behind can be just as considerable as on those who’ve lost their jobs. 

If you lead or manage a team of any size, here are a few things you can do to prioritise your own and your colleagues’ health and wellbeing. 

1. Provide a safe space to talk 

Colleagues’ concerns may not be immediately obvious. Give each person the opportunity to talk in a safe place. Take the time to listen, show interest and understanding. Once you understand their concerns, agree where, how and when you can make appropriate adjustments to improve the situation.

2. Put your own ego aside and work as one team

To truly live your values, leaders at every level must learn to put their ego to one side and do what’s best for the team. Listen to your team, show flexibility, and celebrate how valuable your people and their health are to your organisation. The brain power of the people in your business is much greater as a whole. By working together you will get back on your feet, make a positive difference and build your reputation as a great employer.

3. Protect your customers’ health

Celebrate your valued customers by doing the right things to protect their health. Now is not the time to take short cuts. Ensure every step of their experience is exceptional. Begin by prioritising your team’s health. Are they in the right frame of mind to make exceptional customer experiences happen?

Live your values at every level

If I can offer just one piece of advice right now, it would be to consider how you can embrace living your core values at every level of your organisation. Through living your values you will build a culture of doing the right thing for colleagues and customers. 

If you’d like to discover how to build future growth through creating and embedding core values in your organisation, we’d be delighted to help. Arrange a Tell Me More chat here.

Remember, it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it that builds trust.