The secret to driving results and winning the war for talent…
Cricket Australia thought that it had high values.
The behaviour of the Australian Cricket team leadership during the ball tampering scandal in 2018 was the abandonment of the core values that our national team should embody. They had lost sight of their core purpose and a “win at all costs” mentality had crept in.
Another fascinating example of values in action emerged in May 2018. Roseanne Barr, the star of the award-winning “Roseanne” show, was sacked for a racist Twitter attack on an Obama Administration staffer.
She was fired for blatantly violating the ABC’s values of “inclusiveness and tolerance”. The “Roseanne” show was estimated to bring in over $100 million in advertising revenue over the next two years.
The ABC chose to protect their values, commenting that “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values. We have decided to cancel her show.”
Successful organisations need a commitment not only to a core purpose, but clearly defined core values.
When decisions are made to meet short-term goals or the specific agenda of members of the leadership team, businesses can lose sight of their core purpose. We then see a drift of behaviours in all directions, and the company becomes unhinged.
If you’re a CEO, three of the biggest challenges you’ll face in today’s business climate are:
- Making the best decisions when the answer isn’t always clear;
- Maintaining a strong and consistent culture as your business rapidly grows; and
- Attracting and retaining the best talent (who are a good fit for your workplace culture).
If not handled well, these issues can lead to inconsistency and growing pains – as well as create major roadblocks in taking your organisation to the next level. Thankfully, there’s a simple solution: create and grow an organisation that is core value driven.
More next week when we discuss the ‘rules’ behind core values …
If you would like help to Scale & Grow your business faster book a free strategy session here.
Best wishes,
Jonathan