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2. Know your values

Angela started work as a solicitor in a Midlands city in the 1970s. In her first few months she was disconcerted that several clients asked her to do things that she considered unethical. She was clear she would never do anything dishonest or immoral. As a result she lost several clients, much to the criticism of a colleague who was eager to build up the firm’s business as quickly as possible.

She recounts the day when a well-known businessman stomped out of her office angrily, saying that she was naive and needed to be more ‘flexible’. For several years she struggled to build up her client base, but gradually her reputation as a woman who had high principles won over. Looking back, she believes that the growth of her firm (she is now the senior partner) is not just because they are good at their work, but is also due to their reputation for integrity.

Most of us want to work for an organization we can be proud of. We would like it to have an excellent reputation and be renowned for its positive ethos and values. However, the way that we maintain the highest values is by the leader embodying and practising them, relentlessly and consistently.

How do we develop a workforce that is passionate about what we are doing? How do we become known as an organization that treats its employees and customers well? No amount of management technique or spin will suffice. The key way such changes come about is through a leader who lives out these positive values day by day. As Leo Tolstoy was reputed to have said, ‘Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.’

Most employees or volunteers look for a leader who they can respect and emulate. It sounds rather old fashioned, but they want people who lead by example. Here the age-old maxim, found in various forms in all the world’s main religions, holds true: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Or to put it in another of its popular forms: Treat others as you want to be treated.

Most of us instinctively have an innate sense of fairness. We can spot a leader who has double standards and who grabs everything they can get. When a leader complains that the workforce is only interested in what they can take out of the organization, the first thing they need to do is to look at themselves. Do the employees or volunteers see a leader who believes so much in what the organization is doing that they are prepared to make sacrifices? Is the leader recognized as someone who is giving all their energies and passions to it? Perhaps all they see is a leader only interested in the perks. Many of us are willing to work sacrificially, often way beyond the hours that are expected, when we believe in the worth of what we are doing.

Or take another feature of many successful organizations: loyalty. How do we hold onto good employees or volunteers in a competitive market? Beyond a certain level of remuneration we cannot buy loyalty. If employees or volunteers are treated as if they are dispensable (‘I’m the boss and if you don’t want to do it my way then leave’), then they are not going to be loyal when we are going through difficult times. What builds loyalty is a leader who is loyal.

The most important resource in any organization is the staff or volunteers. When people discuss how they want to be treated, high on the list is that we want to matter for who we are, not just for what we do. We want our views to be respected, our contribution to be valued and to be treated fairly. These are deep human aspirations that transcend time, class, religion and gender. Where mutual respect is taken seriously in an organization, most people will be set free to give of their best. Conversely when an organization treats people as dispensable, where suggestions are rubbished and favouritism is rife, many employees do the minimum required.

The leader sets the standards of the organization. There are several areas in which this is important. For example, it does not take staff or volunteers long to discover if the leader is untruthful. When the leader asks someone to tell a lie, even if it is about something unimportant, it may resolve a difficult situation in the short term. But from then on it is known that it is all right to be economical with the truth. If it is acceptable to be untruthful to someone outside the organization, then why not to each other?

Another area is gossip. Some leaders are renowned for talking about their colleagues behind their backs in unflattering terms. Not only are their abilities mocked but even their motivations are called into question. Often done with humour this may be superficially amusing and can be flattering to those in the leader’s ‘in group’.

However, if we know that the boss is someone who talks about others behind their backs, would we go to them when we are worried about something? Probably not, because we know that the leader is the sort of person who cannot keep confidences and who does not respect colleagues. Instead of creating a culture where everyone is open about their gifts and weaknesses and where there is a willingness to learn, gossip divides and demotivates.

How do we respond when someone is critical about a colleague behind their back? Do we ignore it, thereby creating a culture which is fundamentally dishonest or do we discuss the problems with them? Not only is there a possibility that this might improve the situation, but it sends out a message that the mature way to deal with frustrations is to talk them through. The complainer also picks up the subliminal message that if we are unhappy with their work we will discuss it with them, not say disparaging things behind their back.

In terms of honesty, is the leader known to treat employees fairly or do they routinely presume upon their employees to work beyond what is expected? Do they use their position of power to get what they want, knowing that some employees respond out of fear of being passed over? This sort of honesty is just as important as the leader being seen to be scrupulous when it comes to expenses and perks. When the leader acts with honesty and integrity, it encourages a culture where honesty and integrity is valued throughout the organization.

For reflection

 How would your colleagues describe your values and attitudes? To what extent do you exemplify the values that you want others in the organization to hold?

 List the ways in which you want to be treated by others in the organization. Are these the values with which you treat others?

 How can we encourage a culture of openness where we talk to each other face-to-face rather than behind others’ backs?

 How have you demonstrated loyalty to colleagues in the past month?