Intentional Modeling of Desired Values and Behaviors

Intentional Modeling of Desired Values and Behaviors

S. Chris Edmonds is a sought-after speaker, author, and executive consultant. He’s the founder and CEO of The Purposeful Culture Group, which he launched in 1990. Chris helps senior leaders build and sustain purposeful, positive, productive work cultures. He is the author or co-author of seven books, including Amazon bestsellers Good Comes First (2021) with Mark Babbitt, The Culture Engine (2014), and Leading at a Higher Level (2008) with Ken Blanchard.

How often are your company’s values modeled by those in your organization? Is it a daily effort? If it’s not, leaders must be intentional about communicating desired values and behaviors, modeling them, coaching others in how to implement them, and holding themselves and others accountable for living out these standards.

Here is how one client embeds the expectation of and demonstration of their valued behaviors in every interaction.

First, values are a part of the agenda for every department’s weekly huddle. Everyone attends either face-to-face or via video call.

The agenda is sent out in advance. Besides business updates, the team discusses one valued behavior at each meeting. For example, recent meetings focused on one of their service-valued behaviors: “I listen objectively to others without interruption.”

A person in a suit sits with hands behind their head, gazing at a chalkboard in the workplace adorned with multiple drawn clouds connected by arrows. The larger central cloud is surrounded by smaller interconnected clouds, symbolizing an intricate network of brainstorming and ideas.

Two fists covered in dirt and grime are clasping together against a dramatic cloudy backdrop. The point of contact is illuminated with a bright, fiery glow, and sparks fly around, symbolizing power and struggle. One arm has blue and yellow, the other red and blue markings—a visual metaphor for workplace conflict.

Do not leave the quality of your work culture to chance. Be intentional by embedding and living out your valued behaviors.

CHRIS EDMONDS

In advance of the meeting, staff are asked to write down responses to these two questions:

Recognition – which of your team leaders or team members have demonstrated this valued behavior in the last few weeks, with customers or with peers? Be prepared to share examples of this week’s valued behavior, what you observed or heard, and what the positive impact was.
Opportunity – for our team’s customers (internal or external customers), how might we all do a better job of demonstrating this week’s valued behavior? Where do we fall short in modeling this behavior? What gets in the way of us modeling this behavior consistently?

Discussing recognition and opportunity gets people used to:

Thinking about valued behaviors
Recognizing their peers
Boosting team demonstration of that week’s valued behavior

The manager needs to be prepared with examples of both recognition and opportunity in case team members are reluctant to speak up. Over time, people will be more willing to do the prework and come prepared to share.

There is a benefit to focusing on one “official” valued behavior in a regular meeting. That is what Ritz-Carlton Hotels does with their 12 “standards.” They examine one standard a day and do the same one in every property around the globe that day. This builds clarity and consensus across the organization.

Do not leave the quality of your work culture to chance. Be intentional by embedding and living out your valued behaviors.