Several leaders who opposed America — Adolf Hitler, Nikita Khrushev and Osama Bin Laden, to name a few — thought that America’s diversity would pull the nation apart in the face of adversity. They seriously underestimated the power of shared values. Americans are rationally and emotionally committed to a set of values that include freedom of speech, religion and assembly, the right to vote and equality of opportunity. They’re like bees buzzing around with no apparent connection to one another, that is, until they are under siege…then just watch them come together to oppose their enemies. This advertising spot, entitled “I am an American” sponsored by the Ad Council and conceived by the GSD&M advertising agency following the September 11 terrorist attacks, makes the point in a profound and moving way.
Few leaders understand how powerful shared values can be to increase the trust, cooperation and performance of group members. Sometimes simple mantras unite people. Disney’s mantra “to make people happy” or Charles Schwab’s mantra to “make the most useful and ethical financial products in the world” move the hearts of true believers and motivate them to go the extra mile, individually and collectively.
Sometimes it’s difficult to identify a mantra that resonates. If you’re in the waste management business, your employees are not exactly drawn to disposing of trash. How you conduct your business, then, can be a way to unite them. One private company CEO I know in the waste management business clearly explains to employees what he and his colleagues believes in and how they expect everyone to live up to a set of aspirational values. This CEO treats his employees like family. He knows them. He’s there for them. He expects them to respect and help one another. He also has high performance expectations and he works harder than anyone else to meet them. These are universal values that everyone can rally around provided that the leadership’s “walk” is consistent with its “talk.” The result of the waste management CEO’s values-driven leadership has been low employee turnover, a reputation for reliability and integrity, and a highly profitable business.
If you’re a leader, what values do you believe in when it comes to the business you are responsible for leading? Taking time to identify your values, your personal experiences that formed those values and why employees should embrace them, could help take your business to the next level of performance.
