Inspiring Workplaces: Valuable Questions for a Values Conversations

Published: Wed, 03/06/24

View on mobile device or browser

Inspiring Workplaces 
The Way Work Ought to Be!
ISSUE 1,011 - Mar. 6, 2024
   
    Valuable Questions for a Values Conversation
   










 
I once worked with two clients at the same time who coincidentally had the exact same list of corporate values, yet one client had through-the-roof employee engagement scores, while the other, well, not so much.

The difference boils down to those cliche sayings, "actions speak louder than words" and "talk is cheap." 
As comedian Jon Stewart once said, “If you don’t stick to your values when they’re being tested, they’re not values, they’re hobbies.”


Although we talk about values at the level of the workplace, how often do you have conversations with your boss, employees, or colleagues about what values matter to you and to them at an individual level? These conversations can offer valuable insights into what motivates your colleagues, how to support them better, and how to effectively communicate with them.

And with your collective workplace values, if you want them to really mean something, then make sure you and your team have a mutual understanding of what those suckers actually mean. Here are a few questions to guide a richer conversation around your values:

1. How will we know we are living this value out loud?

2. What are some critical behaviors that support this value?

3. What are some red flags that might indicate we aren't living up to this value?

4. Describe a time when we had to make a difficult decision to live up to this value?

5. Describe a time when we clearly strayed outside this value? 

6. Who brought the cookies to the meeting? (*This is just a good question to ask in any meeting if you want to have a better conversation.) 

rule1
   
    Mike's Fun at Work Tip
 
March 7 is Name Tag Day and March 8 is Middle Name Pride Day, so why not have everyone on your team wearing name tags proudly displaying their middle names. (If you don't have a middle name, then this is your chance to make one up, like, "Danger", so you get to tell people Danger is your middle name!) 

You could also use this occasion to have everyone share their soap opera alter ego name using the formula: Your Middle Name + The Town You Were Born In. (Which makes me the adorably mysterious Douglas Penticton!)   

rule1
    Quote of the Week
 
"You can't stay mad at someone who makes you laugh." Jay Leno
rule1
 
    Funny Business
 
Thank you to longtime reader Michelle Wilcox for passing this along! As seen on a sign at an Accent Inn in Burnaby, BC:
 
After Hours
Lobby Access
 
Do a dance and tap your room key
(Dancing is optional...but encouraged)
rule1
 
 
 
Cost-Saving Opportunities to
Book Michael

Toronto: Various dates in March
Edmonton: April 8 or 9
Winnipeg: April 10, 11, 16, 18
Regina: April 23-26
Saskatoon: May 8, 13, 15, 16
Toronto: June 3-5
Saint John, NB: June 15-20


How to Be An Inspiring Culture Leader: What Culture Leaders Do to Create Inspiring Workplace Cultures That Drive Extraordinary Results  This online membership site/course includes 12 video-based modules, 5 eBooks, and all the resources you need to help you and your team build an inspiring workplace culture that works for everyone. Great deals for bulk signups!

WANTED: Lonely Audiences Seeking Inspiring, Funny, Energizing Speaker to Help Them Ramp Up Their Workplace Culture Respond to this email to find out how Michael can energize your workplace! 
"Michael Kerr was one of the best speakers I’ve heard! Very motivating!" Angela Docouto, Inn at the Forks
 
  Follow Michael Kerr - The Workplace Energizer!
  linkedintwittertwitter
 
Copyright © 2024 Michael Kerr. All Rights Reserved.
[email protected]
Suite #644, 104-743 Railway Avenue, Canmore, AB, T1W 1P2