Purpose & Values are Verbs!

Purpose & Values Are Verbs!

The language of a financial statement is used daily.   Classes, mentorship, ongoing discussion is constant in use of the financial statement.   Meanwhile, there is almost no time given in most companies that actively uses Purpose, Values or Vision as a tool on a daily, minute by minute basis.

Imagine wanting to change an old habit or develop a new skill.  In either case, to shift effectively you must exercise the new behavior.  Remember the old joke, “how do you get to Carnegie Hall?  The answer: practice, practice, practice!”   Look at sports professionals.  In tennis, baseball, basketball, football, fundamentals are everything.  Fancy play comes from the discipline of constant practice of fundamentals.  In the world of music the same is true.  In the world of business, financials are fundamental and critical. 

   How about understanding and using the Purpose and Values of your organization?  During orientation, a new staff member may spend an hour on the values of the organization.  That is typically the end of the training in use of the Values or the conscience of the organization.   In most cases values are not seen as real tools for the effective operation of business or the achievement of top line sales or bottom line profit.  There is actually nothing farther from the truth!  Here are four alternatives we’ve found to be powerful and effective:  

Alternative 1.  I remind myself and our clients constantly, “Own the very real possibility that Purpose, Values, Vision, Mission are verbs.”   Purpose in business and each Value must have an active role on a daily basis in your company.      

Alternative 2.  Use the actual language of your defined Purpose Statement, Values, Vision, or what have you on a daily basis.   Don’t abbreviate the language.   For fundamental practice, use the tools as they are defined.  Your skill will improve daily.

Alternative 3.  Use these consciousness raising tools as guiding principles in your decision making daily.  Use them to get to solutions, not following the arrival of what you think a solution ought to be.  Imputing Purpose or Values following your solution is like putting a spin on your decision, implanting a value after the fact.  This action undercuts the power of your consciousness tools.   Your staff and customers will actually feel this tactic and again you inadvertently deduct power from the very tools you’ve personally created. 

Alternative 4.  If you have a defined set of Values by which you say you make decisions, pay attention to their use in one more way:  Note that when you make a decision based on only one value or principle, you will most likely end up with a weak decision.  Typically this is a great signal for you to recognize you’re missing something.   My experience with over 50 of our clients is that a solid decision rests on a set of Values rather than any one.  This is a daily “rule” that can be a guidepost for your team.  Using the set of these tools tangibly, is in very many ways similar to line item evaluation on a financial statement.

Notice that the word daily shows up in all four alternatives.  Just like the use of your financials mastery comes only from commitment to the daily practice of fundamentals.  A statement of Purpose, your Values, and Vision, are just as tangible as a financial statement when a commitment is made to their daily use.  Profit shows up in ways you never dreamt.  Based on our success in over 1,000 client systems working with values based leadership, you can believe it.  All you have to do is chose too.