Date published: 27th March 2020

How are values the secret to high engagement and superior performance?

Values can be powerful enablers of high performance in teams, enabling them to work in flow with extraordinary results. By aligning values with their vision, their strategy and their behaviours, leaders create a sense of meaning and clarity of purpose, informing team norms and behaviours in a tangible way. Over nearly 20 years, the TCM System™ has provided a holistic model for our customers to create and sustain fair, just and values based high performing cultures. Having recently joined TCM as head of programmes, I am excited to be given the opportunity to develop the TCM System™ and to focus, in particular, on extending and enhancing TCM’s leadership development model: ‘Leading with Values’.

Grounded in a clear understanding that leaders are the single greatest factor in employee engagement, through the climate they create, the TCM System™ underscores how leaders can drive performance by leading with values in several ways: (1) To create clarity and connection so that the fine words on the wall can become meaningful, to drive commitment and performance (2) As a role model for the values the leader can use these to inform the organisation culture and team’s personality, standards and goals, (3) values can be used as the primary influence on the choice of leadership style leaders use in certain situations to lead and develop their team.

An example that stands out in my career in Leadership Development in the UK, Europe and Middle East was a leader of a small business who always passed any savings in costs involved in service delivery on to her clients, even though these were not available to the client and could have been seen as a legitimate addition to the profitability of a job. “It’s integrity” she would say, we supplied the service without having to pay so much “we don’t need to compromise our values”. It set a strong example to her employees to always respect clients and work with integrity. Another example is a leader who was a skilled advocate of the coaching leadership style a dedicated developer of people and a compassionate manager. But when standards slipped her leadership style switched, she was directive and specific and focused on corrective action. “Standards” she would say (in her own very distinctive way) referring to one of the core values of the team. Team learning came later, with a purposeful reversion to her coaching leadership style (aligned with the learning and innovation values) and the standards were re-explained through her choice of a visionary leadership style (Clarity and Performance Values). For both of these leaders, values were the golden thread that joined the employee and the customer experiences (as defined in the TCM System™) in their role as organisation leaders.

We’ll be discussing values based leadership, sharing experiences explore how we can leverage the strength of values to engage our teams in our TCM values based leadership round table events, hope to meet you there!

Dates are: Wed 22nd April 2020       Tue 19th May 2020 Thurs 25th June 2020

Register to attend a Values Based Leadership round table event online.