It’s a value AND a values proposition
Should you take the next step? What if it violates your values?
“What’s the value prop?”, I’ve heard often in business. It is a measurement I use almost daily in my business as I examine what value I may get from spending money on things like marketing, advertising, or consultants. How will my business grow, how will my revenue increase, how does this benefit the team after I invest this money? It’s a sound approach as the lifeblood of a business, aside from its people, is cashflow. But what about values? Shouldn’t they count? If the cost of a new initiative caused us to jettison our values, is it a worthy investment?
I’ve often said, businesses solve problems through money, the military solves problems through leadership. This is not exactly a slight on business. After all, a military unit is never, ‘going out of business.’ As a leader in the military, I lost no sleep over meeting payroll or raised any capital to fund my missions. My CFO or budget officer, while important, did not have a seat in the ‘C-Suite.’ Army values of selfless service, integrity and honor (to name a few), not money, were central to everything we did. Never would we stray from them.
Money, greed and ego can poison and obscure our personal and company values. If a rogue marketing campaign, designed to boost market share and therefore revenue violated a company’s values of respect for others, inclusion, and promotion of diversity, should it be considered? If a boss pressured a salesperson to violate their integrity to win a lofty contract should a person cast aside their values? If the value prop was only for personal gain and did not truly benefit the team is it the right thing to do? At the end of the day, what do we and our organizations stand for?
It is time to include values in the ‘value prop.’ Values are what make our companies uniquely special. They are what differentiate us from other organizations. You cannot build strong teams or deliver superb customer service without a guiding set of values. Moreover, you cannot foster a healthy work climate with out values. The next time an opportunity is presented, ask, “how is it aligned with our values?” Apply equal focus on values as you do monetary value. What’s in your values prop?
I’ve got coaching spots opening in July. Let’s have a chat and I’ll share the coaching journey and its value AND values proposition.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell