Values and Operating Styles – in my daily work

Let’s be honest. No one cares about the “values” poster on the wall.

If you must post it on a wall as a reminder of what they are, then your team probably doesn’t live them day to day. I’m not diminishing corporate values, they’re important, but what you really want is action. As Douglas Adams might put it, these corporate values often become “words hanging around on signs that need a purpose and meaning in life.”.

You want everyone in your organisation to live out the values with their daily behaviours and actions.

This is where the concept of ‘Operating Styles’ comes into play as a powerful alternative or complement to traditional values.

What Are Operating Styles?

If values represent what an organisation stands for, operating styles represent how the team works.

The great thing about operating styles is you don’t have to get marketing and HR (and a printing company) to do the job for you in a day long workshop. Operating styles are the daily behaviours that reflect your team’s identity and characterise their approach to tasks and interactions. While values tend to be abstract, operating styles are tangible, measurable and actionable. You hear and see them. You get proof that they are in play within your team. How refreshing!

If you’re looking for clues to identify operating style traits in your team, you would be observing:

• Consistency
• Reliability
• Responsiveness
• Timeliness
• Rigour
• Clarity
• Agility

Unlike values, operating styles are easier to tie to specific behaviours and outcomes. You can go and congratulate your team straight away for when they respond quickly and clearly to a difficult request from a customer. They have demonstrated the style in which you want the business to operate. These styles bring an organisation’s ethos to life in a way that resonates with employees and customers alike.

No more posters gathering dust and adding no value to the business.

Why Operating Styles Matter More Than You Think

Consider the common adage, “What I walk past, I accept.” In other words, “Our operating styles guide me to behaving in a way that defines our desired workplace culture”

If people are behaving contrary to the operating styles, then they’re not aligning to the team’s goals. It’s easy to pick and address, as you can focus on the behaviours, not the person.

Importantly, operating styles aren’t a replacement for values like trust or integrity, which are foundational principles that guide decisions even when no one is watching. Instead, operating styles offer a practical way to express these deeper values through everyday actions.

If you have to include ‘trust’ and ‘integrity’ in your values, then you probably have a few more issues to deal with.

How to Embed Operating Styles into Your Workplace

Leaders play a crucial role in embedding operating styles into workplace culture. Here’s how:

Tell Stories: Use real-life examples to illustrate operating styles in action. Stories create a shared understanding of what behaviours are expected and celebrated.

Start Meetings with Reflection: Dedicate time at the beginning of meetings for team members to share how they’ve demonstrated key operating styles. This builds trust and reinforces positive behaviours.

Link to Performance: Incorporate operating styles into performance discussions. Highlight specific behaviours that reflect the desired styles and discuss how to improve.

Model the Way: As a leader, your focus shapes your team’s priorities. The saying “what my boss is interested in fascinates me” highlights the impact of leaders modelling desired behaviours.

Corporate values are important, but they won’t guide your team to the behaviours that demonstrate your desired culture.

Your actions will speak louder than any poster on the wall.

If you’re ready to move beyond words on a wall and embed real, actionable behaviours into your organisation, contact Stoke Consulting. Let’s discuss how we can help your team define and implement operating styles that drive measurable results.

Stoke Consulting