I started this week with a panel discussion about gratitude that has been recorded for a radio show about wellbeing which will be broadcast on 5th July. I was nervous but really enjoyed having a chat about this topic and, of course, I had chance to talk about my favourite subject, kindness.
Next week I am taking part in a virtual event for school children, talking about my career so far and giving them tips for things to think about in making choices about their future. One of the key things I plan to emphasise is the importance on being clear in your own mind what you value and then looking for employers and opportunities that match those values.
That’s not always an easy concept to get your head round and can be even trickier to put into practice when you need a job to pay the bills.
But how do you know what an organisation values?
I believe that communication teams have a part to play in this. We can help to highlight the things that are important at our organisation in a number of ways:
- Find and tell stories that illustrate the things that are recognised and rewarded
- Involve multiple voices to show that the values words on the walls can be lived out in different ways that are true to the essence of the organisation, as well as to the individual
- Use appropriate language that reflects the underlying beliefs – sometimes we may inadvertently illustrate something we didn’t mean by choosing the wrong words
- Call out instances where the values that are alleged to represent our organisation are not the reality that is experienced day to day
After the radio interview, I shared an article on LinkedIn with an example of a client project I was involved in a few years ago to develop a set of values that everyone could sign up to. I also talked about the way that I developed a set of values for my own business – the image on this page contains the words that I use and these words can also be found on the Browning York values page of this website.
I would love to hear how you and your communications team are working in this area, so please do get in touch.
Until next time
Sarah