Clarify Values – Know What Matters
Today, we celebrate 75 years since the Allied Forces invaded France’s Normandy beaches.
When our sons were little, we traipsed them off to visit Omaha Beach, Gold Beach at Arromanches-les-Bains, and the cemeteries of those who died for a mission. We wanted our kids to learn of the price of freedom and to consider these freedom-fighter as heroes.
President Eisenhower, in his June 6, 1944 speech to the embarking soldiers, appeals to their love of liberty.
What do you and I live for? What gives us the courage to face the impossible?
When we tap into our mission and our deepest values, we unleash the courage needed to step outside of our comfort zone.
According to Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Jay Light, previous Dean of the Harvard Business School, put it this way, “We need to know where we want to be in 30 years to decide where to invest the next month.”
That’s what the Allies did when conceiving the Normandy beach landings. Let’s gain insights for our life today.
How Values Matter
Values facilitate decision-making.
Consider even the way we organize and manage our meetings.
Steven Sels, then CEO of Primagaz, share how their values guide their weekly schedule. He handed me a fun-to-handle foldout that dedicates one page per core corporate value: growth through performance – go for niche and market share – invest in people – keep things simple – listen, learn and react – look for the unusual – manage change.
He went on to explain that their Executive Committee meets every Monday afternoon to hear project presentations for any team in the organization. Teams are to submit a written pitch the week before and are allotted thirty minutes of discussion with senior management.
Through these Monday sessions, the company kept innovation simple, uncovered niche market opportunities, taught teams to collaborate and to pitch ideas, and modeled listening and learning by the executive team, and were able to move fast when implementing new ideas. They lived their values and these principles took on meaning.
Compare that to corporate meetings that last looooong, where too many people are convened, and decision-making is slow. Fuzzy values breads lack of focus.
Make Values Crystal Clear
In my workshops, I often ask this question which brings out people’s values.
“What would we need to function as One. Great. Team?”
“What would we need to function as One. Great. Team?”
In a few minutes we have a list of a dozen or more ideas and ideals which run the gamut from “Respect each other” to “Be on time” to “Listen” to “Have food.” 😉
It is worth digging deeper.
Translate Values into Behaviors
We continue defining how to collaborate effectively.
“What does ‘respect’ mean to you?”
“Respect means not interrupting.”
“So, how do handle when one person monopolizes the discussion? They might not realize it AND we do want to hear other people’s input.”
In this point of the discussion, the group begins to understand the value of values. Beliefs lead to behaviors.
There is more than one way to skin a cat, and there are plentiful solutions for showing mutual respect. In the ensuing discussions, values become clearer and more meaningful.
Behaviors are “real” and visible. When associating beliefs with specific action, the ideals become more relevant too. It’s a virtuous circle.
Commemorating D-Day Values
The soldiers, military, resistors, and civilians who contributed to the Allied victory on the Normandy beaches translated “freedom” into the action. They all risked (and some lost) their life for it.
- Some climbed into a boat on a stormy night and jumped off onto mine-filled beaches.
- Others imagined, designed, and built an artificial harbor made of concrete blocks and old tankers that they would sink at Arromanches-les-Bains. This assured the logistic supply for the troops.
- Others spoke and listened to the coded “personal messages” on France Libre, the French resistance radio channel on the BBC from London.
- …
Thank you. Their decisions to invest courage and valor 75 years ago allows us to live as are today.
In what will you and I invest so that we are where we want to be in 30 years? Let’s think about it now. A family friend and veteran says, “If I knew I would be living this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”
Let us live without regrets with purpose NOW.
P.S.
Sometimes sharing values looks messy. Here is a picture of our four boys at the American Cemetery and Memorial by Omeha Beach. We invested energy in having them stand somewhat reverently in the cemetery…clearly not in having them sit quietly at the barber shop!
Photos of Arromanches by P Bracke
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