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Values: The Last Piece of the Team Playbook
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Over the last several weeks, we have built a team playbook and scorecard piece by piece. Now we come to the section that is often written first but should often be written last… team values. Most teams start with values, but healthy teams discover them. If you’ve been using weekly scorecards, you already have the raw data you need. Values show up in what gets:
Values only matter if they describe real, observable behavior. They’re not wishes or slogans. Three Types of Values for Your Playbook You team playbook should clearly separate values into three categories. Mixing them can create confusion. Core Values These are values your team lives by even when it’s hard. Core Values:
A simple test to evaluate a core value is to ask “would we keep this value even if it made hiring harder, slowed us down, or cost us revenue?” If the answer is no, it’s not a core value. Most teams have 3-5 core values. Aspirational Values These are values you sometimes demonstrate, but not consistently yet, although you want to. They represent:
Aspirational values are powerful when named honestly. If they are stated as core values and aren’t really, they often create cynicism. Minimum Values Minimum values are baseline behaviors required to be on the team. They are often things like:
These don’t differentiate your team but they do protect it. If someone violates a minimum value and doesn’t address it, they eventually can’t be a part of the team. Stating this upfront creates fairness and clarity. How to Determine Your Team’s Values Use these questions in a team session to help list your team’s values:
Look for patterns in the answers. Name behaviors, not virtues and be specific. Now put the values in your team playbook and look for them to show up everywhere, including in:
Values are not poster or fliers. They are standards. PS: If you’d like help facilitating a values discovery session or turning your playbook into an organizational operating system, we’d love to help. Just reply to this email. Perry Myers |
The Outlier Team
We help small businesses with technology, strategy, and leadership and have a passion for sharing what we have learned. Subscribe to our newsletter to get helpful weekly content.
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