Value is a word with so many meanings. Value/s in business are at the heart of the business and there are many ways of addressing this topic:
- Values that live in the very DNA of the business.
- Values to which a business might aspire (which are often published as the Business Values!)
- Value delivered to customers for which they are willing to pay
- The whole concept of Business and Shareholder value as a method of measurement of performance – this is exclusively financial and relates to the $value of the Business or the Shares.
- Value as it relates to respect – do you value yourself and do you value other people
It is this last one I want to address in this conversation. It is a very simple concept and it is worth consideration as it essentially can be measured every day – and it is.
This morning I went to meet the CEO of a business for a prearranged meeting at 8.30 am. As it happened I was a little early and was invited to sit in the Boardroom. All good at this stage!
By 8.45 he had not arrived and no message. So I apologised and left saying I hoped he would call me.
No big deal really but it started me thinking – about respect and value. Punctuality is a very measurable thing and being on time is a small way of showing respect. Of course there are many good reasons for being late.
But allowing for those reasons – being late (without a call) is just not respectful. In essence what is being said is: “What I have to do is more important than meeting you on time – you can wait!” so in the context of feeling valued – this morning I was not feeling valued!
So how we behave towards each other every day, every week demonstrates whether we value other people.
There are so many ways to show people you value them – listening to them, acknowledging them in some way, actually offering positive input about them or their work, including them, being honest with them.
At the heart of business (and life) we all want (and need) to feel valued.
What actually happens however is (often unconsciously) because of our own neediness we devalue those around us. Think about it. Who has not been guilty of not listening, ignoring, excluding others and or being less than honest?
Many years ago I read a book called Declare Yourself. The authors were Narcisso and Burkett. (No reference available) It talked about the I’m OK –Your OK Matrix but replaced the OK concept with Value. There is no doubt we all would like to see ourselves in the positive quadrant. BUT…
In practice every day we are modelling whether we value other people (and ourselves.) It can be measured.
Punctuality is a very visible sign that you do value other people and their time.
Fundamentally it comes down to respect, which is just another word for Value in this context. How many businesses do you know that don’t have a Business Value, which in some way includes respect?
As a Business leader you are a model – so what you do is what you get? Think about it – if you don’t show respect – will you ever be respected?
Have you had an experience when a leader has not respected your time? How did you address it with them?
