Character, Values & Integrity

I've spent a great deal of my career counseling clients in the area of crisis communication - both in the preparation phase and in the heat of dozens of crises themselves. While it's always interesting to look at the various to-do-lists which attempt to offer guidance for managing a crisis successfully, I've found that what separates the best from the worst in crisis responses comes down to character, values and integrity.

When I was a kid, I remember someone describing integrity as what you do when no one else is watching. For example, would you cheat at solitaire and tell others you'd won even though no one could ever prove you wrong? What I've learned is that integrity isn't about what you'd do when no one is watching, it's what you will do when everyone is watching - your employees, the news media, shareholders, etc.

In 1943, before Johnson & Johnson went public, Robert Wood Johnson authored the famous credo that serves to define J&J, not in terms of what they do, but who they are. More recently, Michael Dell spearheaded the drafting of a document titled The Soul of Dell, which sends a clear message that "how" Dell achieves success is just as important as realizing success itself.

If you really want to prepare for crisis, take a close look at the character, values and integrity of your organization and its leaders. While it may be politically more inviting to offer a checklist of "what to do if...?", resist the easy route and take a page from Jim Collins' book Good to Great - look at WHO before WHAT!

Reflection

Chris Brogan drafted a post today titled, Saying No. It could have just as easily been called Reflection. The post speaks to the difficulty many of us have in saying no and facing the realization that we only have so much bandwidth - that saying yes to everyone doesn't help anyone if we can't devote the time and energy necessary to doing a great job. But his post goes further than that, and it's a fitting follow-up to yesterday's entry on core values.

Chris doesn't stop at saying no, but walks us through a reassessment of his priorities and values. It's not only something we should contemplate as organizations, as I suggested yesterday, but it's a powerful individual exercise that can help us achieve true balance, even harmony, in our personal and professional lives.

Thanks for the reminder!

It's Your Values That Matter

Many organizations have mission and vision statements. Fewer have values statements. From a client service perspective, it's values that matter. It's great to know why you exist (mission) and where you want to go (vision), but it's defining who you are (values) that may mean the difference between delivering excellent client service or not.

Now what do we mean by values statements? In the July 2002 issue of Harvard Business Review, Patrick M. Lencioni shared an interesting story: "I once asked the CEO of a Fortune 500 networking company to tell me one of his firm's core values. 'A sense of urgency!' he replied without hesitation. 'So,' I asked, 'your employees take quick action and hit all their deadlines?' 'No,' he replied, 'they are complacent as hell, which is why we need to make urgency one of our core values.'"

Lencioni added, "That response reveals the confusion underlying many values initiatives. Far from being a core value, a sense of urgency didn't even exist in the organization. It was just an aspiration - a goal for the future."

If you have a core values statement, it may be time to revisit it to determine whether your core values are truly engrained in the organization or still aspirational. If you don't have a core values statement, then drafting one that truly reflects the current state with an eye toward success for the future can be a gratifying and important exercise. Your employees and your clients will be the big winners.

Both my current and my previous employer had core values statements, and each in their own way serves the organization well. One is more memorable; the other more inspirational. Both have a measure of aspiration to them - as well they should. It's all about trying to be better.