As I walked through the entry way to the lobby, I noticed Miguel had posted the list of values in a cheap plastic frame next to the Mission Statement. I ducked into the conference room. Miguel sat up. “I know, I know,” he said. “At least it’s a start.” I stared at him.

“No impact. It’s not even a start.”

The rest of the management team huddled around, taking their places at the table. “Look,” I continued. “You have done a lot of work, but until you breathe some life into these values, communicate them as part of your culture, you might as well have stayed in bed.”

We worked the values list for thirty minutes, and in that short time, a series of ideas was constructed. There were details and accountabilities. For the next couple of days, I will share those ideas. If you like, you can comment or contribute below.

Hiring topped everyone’s list. That meant identifying behaviors connected with those values and constructing interview questions to be used in the selection process. We spent ten minutes brainstorming those questions. Interestingly, that ten minutes revealed more about the meaning of those values and how they would positively impact the culture than any framed poster on the wall.

We amplified those questions by circulating an email copy to several other committees and groups in the company. We got lots of feedback and suggestions for more questions.

We will take a look at another idea tomorrow. -TF