Authors Kimberly Layne, Twiana Armstrong and I share how we help leaders and teams establish working together agreements based on mutual understanding, values, mission and purpose.
[Video Transcript]
0:00 [Twiana Armstrong]
Self-Awareness demands knowing your values as well appreciating and respecting the values of others. Being able to live your values, whether at home, at the office or at play, requires work and working together. DEIB, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging positions the work and the working together so that organizations reap the benefits by fulfilling their mission, employees thrive in an environment in which they feel they belong, and we all improve our quality of life. Self-Aware leaders living their values serve as role models for others to the same and more importantly, exhibit the results of doing the work. I recently had the opportunity to work on my values in a workshop presented by Dr. Janice Doucet Thompson of JD Thompson & Associates, LLC. The workshop, Understanding Your Values and Developing Your Leadership Credo, focused on identifying my values and capturing my life’s purpose. This check-in helped me confirm that I am living my life’s purpose and thoughtfully wrote down what that looks like. Leaders, you must take the time to do the work. What are your values and how do you demonstrate them as you lead others.
1:30 [Matt Schlegel]
showing up as your authentic self is one of the topics we discussed last time. To show up as your authentic self, it really is important to understand your own values and how your values fit with the purpose of your work, and the organization you’re working in.
I would even extend that to your team – it’s constructive to have a values discussion with your teammates so that everybody understands each other’s values and how they fit in with the mission of the team.
Everyone’s values may not be the same, but there will be overlap, and it’s in that overlap that you find the commonality between individual values and team purpose – the glue that will keep the team striving together to reach your goals.
Here’s just quick example that’s come up recently in a team that I’m working with: At one of the meetings, there was an incident where somebody got very upset and stormed out.
This team had established a working-together-agreement with our shared values and one of those values was Generous Listening. In debriefing the incident, we recognized that we had failed to live our values. Ironically, it was between two people who were in agreement and not letting each other finish their thought that they agreed with the other!
Had the team stuck to its values, this incident would have never occurred and the team would have had just that much more time to work towards the goal rather than being distracted processing this incident.
To avoid this in the future the team now takes the time to review the working-together-agreement at the start of meetings, and we see that our meetings have returned to being very productive. And the team is now more than ever committed to the mission.
Kimberly, how are values and working together agreements playing in your world.
3:33 [Kimberly Layne]
Thank you, Matt, and Twiana for sharing your thoughts on values.
Values as leaders and as a team member are important and often instilled in us when we were kids.
Most of us would agree that when we were raised or if we are raising kids, we teach them the important values of being kind, generous, and to share.
So, when our eldest went off to college this past September, he was eager looking to have several roommates, to share the space together, and enjoy a bond amongst his new bros.
How do most male freshman do this? Buy buying beer for the room’s refrigerator, of course. Corey did this several weeks in a row and was enjoying the pride of being the provider and the generous roommate. Until he complained on one call that one of his roommates, Peter was routinely helping himself to the beer and drinking it without any consideration of (1) replacing what he drank w more beer, or (2) reimbursing Corey for the more than generous portion of beer he drank.
Fast forward two weeks to this weekend, when Corey complained that Pete not only drank his beer but also offered it to several other boys in the dorm. Corey was livid, to say the least.
We encouraged Corey to continue to honor his values and desire to be generous, and in the process, he needed to establish boundaries and expectations with Pete and his other roommate. Corey discussed this issue with Pete and included his other roommate in coming up with an mutually acceptable living arrangement agreement.
As a result, Pete and his roommate have agreed to replace any beer they drink and to also buy his own beer to share occasionally.
As leaders, what values are you needing to set expectations about and also boundaries around to ensure you can live those beliefs and values, and not be taken advantage of.
Find more about Kimberly, Twiana and Matt here:
Kimberly Layne: https://www.kimberly-layne.com/
Twiana Armstrong: https://linkedin.com/in/twianaarmstrong
#Values #WorkingTogetherAgreements #Leadership #Roaring2020s
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