The 3 Power Values

Countless management gurus have written about the importance of values, doing the right thing, and creating sustainable organizations. They have shown us how to calculate the ROI of values and have persuaded leaders of the need to instill personal responsibility and a sense of mission in their organizations. Yet, management consultant David Gebler argues, we have been looking at the issue of values from the wrong direction. Managers and employees do not need to be taught the "right values," he explains. They already have a strong sense of the values and behaviors required for the organization to succeed. Rather, leaders need to let employees live their values by removing the factors-influenced by corporate culture-that can generate negative behavior, factors such as social pressures of what to say and not say. Culture is often defined as "how we do things around here." But to change a culture, leaders need a model that can indicate where and how the organization is behaviorally challenged. In The 3 Power Values Gebler argues that the key factor that determines whether a culture is functioning well or not, is how successfully the organization has aligned three core elements: its goals (what it does), its standards of behavior (how it does it) and its values (why it does it). To drive behavior change that leads to this cultural alignment, three specific values-commitment, integrity, and transparency-are essential. Commitment links values to goals by creating ways for employees to feel engaged and connected. Integrity links the walk (standards) with the talk (goals), building trust through consistency and predictability. Transparency creates an open environment where employees can express their values without fear. Organizations whose employees live these Power Values are marked by dedication, openness, and personal responsibility. Employees take the initiative to ensure the company achieves its goals in the short-term without sacrificing long-run sustainability. Enlivened with plenty of anecdotes and case studies, The 3 Power Values provides leaders with a pragmatic user's guide to harness these three Power Values.