INSURANCE BARTENDER
TURNING VALUES INTO VISION This month’s magazine highlights the incredible dedication and work of our Board of Directors. These esteemed men and women are very accomplished business leaders of whom I have the pleasure to work with and learn from each day. They inspire their employees and create cultures of success within their respective organizations. I’m always trying to gleam successful qualities, characteristics and initiatives of which I can replicate and instill into the IIAW. This month I thought it would be fitting to write about a topic I have long contemplated and discussed with many individuals from board members to a plethora of professionals from other industries. The topic: turning values into vision. If you surveyed your employees, they would likely have a variety of responses when asked why they do what they do. Do they universally understand your company’s core values? How do they contribute to the overall vision that drives their success and that of their employer? Once values are determined, it is important to make sure all employees are part of the conversation, and they embrace those values; not just at work but out in your community as well. Values can be easily stated, but difficult to live out. That’s why it’s important to identify values that your employees try to live by day-in and day-out to incorporate them into the culture of your business. As I converse with our Board of Directors, they all share similar principles, characteristics and ideals that contribute to their vision of how they accomplish success. Many of them hold strategic planning sessions or roundtables to discuss and set company values. Strategic planning sessions and roundtables aren’t just for large companies. Some of the smallest companies I know are very successful in hosting such events to keep the pulse on their office and to set the
direction for the future. Far too often as a society we fail to live up to our expectations and stay true to our values. Let’s be honest, we’re human and can slip up. The question is are you accountable for your actions? Do you understand what causes you to stray from your principles? According to author Lee Colan, in his article titled “How to Turn Your Values into Action”, “The most valuable type of knowledge is self-knowledge. Knowing your tendencies, preferences, values, personal limits, natural gifts and weaknesses helps you make the right commitments and keep them.” Aside from personal introspection, a good way to learn about yourself is to capture data on how others perceive you. For example, regularly ask your team what you can “Start, Stop and Keep” doing to be a better leader and support their success. You can have a “Start, Stop and Keep” discussion after finishing a project, wrapping up a meeting or during a scheduled review. Another important aspect of self-knowledge is to have a clearly thought out set of personal values, a few things that are vital to you and reflect your uniqueness.” For example, my personal values are to respect, serve, motivate, advocate and empower others. For each of these values, I have specific behaviors that I strive to demonstrate each day. Your values should dictate your decisions and behavior, not your circumstances or fleeting feelings. Being a reliable and reputable person not only means doing what you say, it also means doing what is right.
