Life is essentially a question of values (Mier Kahane). The same is true with sales leadership organizations. The rise and fall of corporations depend largely on the values that the team and its leadership practice. And these values are at the core of organizational existence for they are essential and non-negotiable principles that serve as compass for its daily and long-term decisions. Here are three reasons why values are at the core.
Values influence culture
According to sales leader and entertainment media mogul Patrick Whitesell, ‘You can have all the right strategies in the world; [but] if you don’t have the right culture, you’re dead.’ Peter Drucker simplified this thought by stating that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast.’ Organizational culture is shaped by the consistent actions and behaviors of its members, and serves as the underlying foundation of how organizations think, behave and react. In fact, ‘if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just take care of itself’ (Tony Hsieh). Yet at the core of it all, culture is but a reflection of the shared values of people within the organization. So as a sales leader, if you wish to shape your team’s culture, you need to be mindful of the values that you and your team will consistently practice.
Values personify the brand
Procter and Gamble pioneered the concept of brand management. This refers to the crafting and maintenance of a brand’s value and reputation over time. Lasting brand value is earned when people see their own personal values authentically reflected in the organization. In other words, people will tend to develop brand loyalty if the values that they have are reflected in the brand-because like attracts like. Brand trust is significantly higher with people who share the same values with the company’s core values. However, core values are not practiced by the company but by people within the organization. Hence core values are personified by people, whom customers directly interact with. So as a member of the organization, you represent the brand, hence, you are the brand.
Values guide decisions
According to Roy E. Disney, ‘When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.’ Core values basically define the manner by which members of an organization acts and reacts. These are statements of non-negotiable principles that companies follow. In fact, policies, codes of conduct and reward systems revolve around core values. It also influences the decisions that leaders take, whether it’s a simple decision or a gargantuan verdict that may change the course of business. For instance, if integrity is a company’s core value, then corruption and bribery are not going to be an option for action. Once core values are identified and used as a moral compass, decisions can be consciously aligned towards the right business priorities.
Alexey Rola Cajilig is the Founder, President and CEO of ARCWAY Consultancy Inc., and Senior Vice President and COO of EM-CORE DOTNET Inc. He is a Sales Leadership Coach, Strategic Sales Operations Consultant, Christian Motivational Speaker, Human Ecologist and Author of Life is a Classroom, The Effective Seller, Solving the Sales Puzzle and Practical Market Intelligence. He is also the creator of ARCH Styles, a behavioral and personality assessment and discovery tool.