Obama’s ability to raise more money than any candidate in history for a values-driven campaign is a good example. Leaders who understand that all boats rise when the playing field is raised to its best levels.
The world is on its economic knees because we allowed smart people with compromised moral compasses to lead the way. They lost the kind of vision that sits on the bedrock of values. If you’re not in business to serve your customers, then do something where you can offer yourself with more integrity.
Values-driven leadership is pervasive – it’s transcendant and it’s fundamental. In other words, understanding that values are in, of, through, above, below, behind, next to and in front of all else creates a winning edge.
realizing values is fundamental: we want to experience. Values transcend both contexts and experiences.
Therefore, they can be used for making tough decisions in complex situations
that we have not experienced before. When we use values in decision-
making, we are consciously creating the future we want to experience. Values
are not constrained by the past and are adaptable to new situations.
But that’s exactly the point of an eloquent chapter on 3M. This wildly successful company had no master plan, little structure, and no prima donnas. Instead it had an atmosphere in which bright people were both keen to see the company succeed and unafraid to “try a lot of stuff and keep what works.” Joanne Lawrence
There are many values-based companies emerging.
It’s time for values-based decision-making. For some people that includes God but it doesn’t have to because the “language” of ethics is universal – only the linguistics change. The important thing is that we need to get this country back on track by evolving our leadership and ourselves toward a strengthened ethical foundation that will support our reaching a new vision of “liberty and justice for all.” Dr. Joni Carley, www.jonicarley.com
Here’s an article I found on Tim Klabunde’s blog. It’s consistent with my experience with coaching leaders: when values rule, abundance flows.
riding the leaderful edge – where you’re productive, creative, prudent and philanthropic. Successful leaders have a passion for compassion, clear vision, and heightened accountability. They do their homework and they demand quality. Leaders are change-makers who give forward, seize challenges, honor their core values, and refuse to live their lives or work their businesses with blinders on.
Spend a complimentary hour sharpening your leaderful edge.
“Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time in leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with authority over you and 15% leading your peers.” — Dee Hock, Founder and CEO Emeritus, Visa
A Values Based Business Marketing Approach
Published July 3, 2008 Business , Tim Klabunde,
I have seen the re-emergence of a refreshing way of doing business that is nothing less than exciting. It is the idea that being simply honest with your clients is no longer enough to separate you in the crowded marketplace. Rather companies are beginning to embrace the idea of ‘going the extra mile’ for their clients, the concept that I like to refer to as Values Based Business. The exciting thing about a Values Based Business approach is that it generates a marketing mechanism that cannot be stopped. I have seen companies that use a Values Based Business Marketing Approach enjoy rich profits, extremely loyal clientele, and a satisfaction that only doing a great job can give.
So, what is a Values Based Business Marketing Approach
A Values Based Business marketing approach is running your company not to make money or to grow, but specifically to help other people. It is the idea that, by running your business with integrity and honesty, faithfully serving your customer instead of your wallet or your own interests, you will experience true success. Let me clarify true success here: more profit, less hassle, a peaceful satisfaction every day on your way home from work, and a good nights sleep (this last one is for all the business owners that haven’t had a good night of sleep in years).
What it looks like
Values Based Businesses do several things that most profit and growth oriented businesses have a hard time swallowing. Here are just a few examples:
1. They always do something extra for free: I used to go to an auto shop that would always do something unexpected for me free of charge. They rotated my tires, replaced light bulbs, oiled squeaky doors; the list goes on and on. In return can you guess what I did? I never had my vehicle serviced at another shop and told everyone I knew to take his or her cars there.
2. Take on pro-bono work: Vales Based Businesses help out non-for-profits, low-income families, and even their everyday clients. They do it because it is right and because they really care. Finally, when they do it, they treat the non-paying client just as good as the paying client.
3. They treat every client like a first class client: Taking calls and returning e-mails promptly is just the tip of the iceberg. Values Based Businesses see what their clients need and help them to achieve it, even if it is out of their scope of work.
The Result
By putting others first you are beginning the process of controlling your own destiny. Values Based Businesses leverage their entire business as a marketing tool that uses referrals, recommendations, references, and relationships as their primary marketing vehicle. This allows a company to increase profitability and to grow far beyond that of a typical money and growth focused company.
Firms that practice this philosophy have strong client bonds based on trust and respect. They have a client base that refuses to work with anyone else because it is a known fact that you will always go the extra mile and never compromise the customer relationship. They have employees that are excited about coming to work to do something good. They have managers that choose what work they want to do and who they want to work for. Perhaps developing your company as a Values Based Business, focusing on others first, will allow you to achieve the success you have always hoped for.
A final note: Isn’t it amazing that when you change your focus to people instead of the bottom line, you begin to experience the success that you were looking for when you were focused on the bottom line.
Values-driven organizations don’t usually have a lot of drama but over time, they sustain because they thrive.
