If you google team values, you’ll find lists that include words like committed, honest, motivated, ethical, accurate… They feel hollow and sterile. They’re the kind of list your team will likely rubber stamp and quickly forget on their back to their desk.
But what if you could define a set of values that both inspired your team and informed how they worked?
Value Moments achieves this by articulating values using behaviors, stories and moments. They describe what it looks like for the team value to be lived out.
Teams exist to create and deliver value. Along that journey, there are many choices to be made. Our values inform both what gets delivered and how we get there.
Values should be the distinguishing flavors of what motivates the team and informs how they behave.
If you’re the leader, or especially the founder, there are likely values that drove you when you started the business or project. You want the people working for you to embody these same values as they work.
There are numerous values you could list out that sound nice, and you want to be true of your team but don’t belong in your list of core values.
These values should be the distinguishing flavors of what motivates the team and informs how they behave. These values should differentiate them from other teams.
You want to surface what will matter to your team at the end of the day. I like using the note-and-vote activity to facilitate discussions like this one.
Prompt the team with these questions.
Then give everyone 5 minutes to write down ideas for values. Have them write one idea per sticky note. Use a visible timer, so everyone knows how long they have.
Once everyone has finished. Allow team members one at a time to share their sticky notes. They will read the note, add brief comments for context, and then stick it to the board. If they have a few that are very similar, they can stick them closer to each other.
Our values inform both what gets delivered and how we get there.
As each person takes a turn, they can begin to group similar values. When everyone has gone, invite a discussion to organize all the ideated values. Feel free to give temporary names to those groups.
Now choose the top 3-4 value groups and order them by importance.
But you’re not done yet. Once you have your prioritized list of values, you’re ready to move on to the next step.
If you’re on a distributed team, you can use any of several quality digital whiteboards for this exercise.
You could stop now, write those top values on a piece of paper and hang it all the wall. But over time, they would lose the nuance and inspiration the team felt during the exercise.
They would become no different than the hollow value lists we mentioned earlier and would soon be forgotten.
That is why this step is so critical.
Your team will name each value, describing what it looks like at a moment when that value is lived out.
But what if you could define a set of values that both inspired your team and informed how they worked?
Your value moments should possess these four characteristics.
This activity will create a story in their mind about these core values, and people are very good at remembering stories.
If your team is struggling with names, share some examples below as inspiration.
Value moments have been my favorite way to set values for my teams. Here are the values of a team from a few years ago. We took the idea for the first one from Patrick Lencioni’s book the Advantage, but it was already a core value to our team.
Setting aside status and ego and willing to do whatever was necessary to help the organization succeed. This value will play out in building proofs of concepts and doing the groundwork for alignment.
We set high, measurable goals and map the steps but allow freedom for how we get there—seeking to collaborate across the organization and beyond it.
We’re willing to take risks and cultivate an environment of creativity and innovation, open to entertaining any idea if it will help us accomplish our goals.
We invite other voices into the process, advocate for them, and seek to grow our teams and replace ourselves with a more diverse team. Humility is the ability to learn something from anyone and everyone.
It’s easy to spend our day reacting to what comes at us. What if you could be proactive, intentionally making decisions based on your priorities? It is possible!
Our five-day short course guides you through the process of identifying your life priorities and scaling them day to everyday decisions. You’ll learn how to establish a rhythm to build good habits and grow a team that will be with you in the journey.
Now that you’ve seen the process and a few examples, you’re ready to take your own team through the process.
You want to give enough time so the process won't feel rushed. Your needed time will depend on factors like your team’s size and how long the team has been working together.
Most of the time, this exercise can be accomplished in an hour or two.
But writing out your value moments is just the beginning. These values should come up as you evaluate options, conduct reviews, and create future roadmaps.
If you get stuck or want someone else to facilitate the exercise for your team, reach out on LinkedIn, and we can set something up. Or, if you’re not sure, signup for one of my free 30-minute coaching spots, and we can talk it through.
Team leadership is a management approach focused on leading and guiding a group of individuals working together towards a common goal. A team leader is responsible for providing direction, support, and guidance to the team members, while fostering a positive and productive work environment.
Team leadership involves setting clear goals and expectations for the team, communicating effectively, and building trust and relationships with team members. It also involves empowering team members to take ownership of their work and contribute their unique skills and perspectives to the team's success.
Some key characteristics of effective team leadership include:
Overall, team leadership is a collaborative and empowering approach to management that values communication, trust-building, and results-driven performance.
There are several different styles of team leadership, including:
Overall, each style of team leadership has its own strengths and weaknesses, and effective leaders may use a combination of different styles depending on the situation and the needs of their team.
There are several key skills required for effective team leadership, including:
Overall, effective team leadership requires a combination of interpersonal, decision-making, and management skills, as well as the ability to inspire and empower team members to work collaboratively towards shared goals.
Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy and management style that emphasizes the importance of serving others first before considering one's own needs and desires. It's an approach to leadership that focuses on the well-being and growth of others, rather than solely on achieving organizational goals.
A servant leader prioritizes the needs of their followers or team members, providing them with support, guidance, and mentorship. They are committed to empowering their team members to reach their full potential and achieve their goals.
Some common characteristics of servant leaders include:
Overall, servant leadership is about creating a supportive and empowering environment for others to thrive. By prioritizing the needs of their followers, a servant leader can inspire trust, loyalty, and commitment, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the organization as a whole.
Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.
Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy and management style that emphasizes the importance of serving others first before considering one's own needs and desires. It's an approach to leadership that focuses on the well-being and growth of others, rather than solely on achieving organizational goals.
A servant leader prioritizes the needs of their followers or team members, providing them with support, guidance, and mentorship. They are committed to empowering their team members to reach their full potential and achieve their goals.
Some common characteristics of servant leaders include:
Overall, servant leadership is about creating a supportive and empowering environment for others to thrive. By prioritizing the needs of their followers, a servant leader can inspire trust, loyalty, and commitment, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the organization as a whole.
Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.
Servant leadership can be beneficial in the workplace in a number of ways, including:
Overall, servant leadership can lead to a more positive, productive, and fulfilling workplace environment, benefiting both employees and the organization as a whole.
Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.
Servant leadership differs from many other leadership styles in several key ways:
Overall, servant leadership is characterized by a focus on serving others, prioritizing empathy and collaboration, and taking a humble and accountable approach to leadership. While other leadership styles may be effective in different contexts, servant leadership can be a powerful tool for creating positive change and empowering others to reach their full potential.
Learn more about how to cultivate servant leadership.
Our five-day short course guides you through the process of identifying your life priorities and scaling them day to everyday decisions.
You’ll learn how to establish a rhythm to build good habits and grow a team that will be with you in the journey.
Our five-day short course guides you through the process of identifying your life priorities and scaling them day to everyday decisions.
You’ll learn how to establish a rhythm to build good habits and grow a team that will be with you in the journey.
Are you striving to align your goals with your values and passions?
Wondering how to measure progress or break down large goals into manageable steps?
Are you ready to transform your dreams into reality?
Our Goal Focus Guide + Worksheet is designed for you to discover how effective goal setting can transform your personal and professional life.
Download the Goal Focus Worksheet