How Leading With Your Values Helps You Do the Next Right Thing

When every decision is filtered through your values, you are free to go above and beyond and leave a meaningful mark on the world.

Some estimate that the average adult makes 35,000 remotely conscious decisions a day, and business leaders around the world are especially feeling that decision-making weight right now. The coronavirus pandemic has upended all our ideas of “business as usual,” forcing companies big and small to find creative solutions to tough problems. How do you even know the next steps in the middle of so much uncertainty?

This is where your organization’s values come in. Your values are the guiding principles that define your culture and how you do business in the world, and your vision for the kind of company you want to be. When every decision is filtered through your values, you are free to go above and beyond and leave a meaningful mark on the world.

Right now, companies who are thriving are the ones truly living their values, even if it means going above and beyond for the trust and safety of their customers and employees, and their high standards and consistent values lead the way.

Target: A Trusted Shopping Experience

Core values: great shopping, community engagement, ethics at work

To their devoted customers, Target is more than a big box retailer. They’re known for a clean and pleasant shopping experience, convenient services, and affordable prices. Right now, when simple grocery runs are stressful, a positive experience is more essential than ever. 

Target’s COVID response goes the extra mile to provide a safe experience. Employees are equipped with masks and gloves and take extra measures to keep the store clean. Plexiglass boundaries and clear six foot markers encourage social distancing, without compromising an inviting space. They also look out for their community with extra hourly pay for team members who continue to work, paid leave for high-risk employees who can’t, and millions devoted to COVID relief. All of this makes shopping at Target feel like a place you can trust in stressful times.

Starbucks: Helping Others Persevere

Core values: teamwork, integrity, perseverance

Starbucks has always prided itself in creating a friendly, comfortable “third place” that serves more than coffee. Though the COVID pandemic has forced many stores to temporarily close, Starbucks has stepped up to care for their employees with compassion and respect. From offering paid leave to their 300,000+ employees, even if they feel more comfortable staying home, to providing through with hardship grants, childcare, and mental health counseling, the coffee giant has opted to honor their teams and help them persevere. To help others persevere through this crisis, they’ve also made a point to prioritize keeping stores near hospitals open and giving away free coffee to front-line responders, and committed millions to relief funds for their home city Seattle and coffee growing communities around the world.

Zappos: Embracing Change in the New Normal

Core values: Deliver WOW Through Service, Embrace and Drive Change, Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication

Online shoe company Zappos is known for their legendary customer service, and as online commerce dramatically rises, they continue to lean into the change. On their website, they offered clear, honest communication about their COVID response, reminding customers of the potential for shipping delays, a small, but helpful gesture. They’ve also stepped up to demonstrate their “embrace and drive change” value, not only moving all non-essential employees to work from home, but also providing stipends and equipment to keep customer service running as smoothly as possible. 

As for honest communication, Zappos acknowledges the realities of pandemic life: “In full transparency, and likely similar to your city, our schools have closed. That means if you call our newly working-from-home customer loyalty team, you may hear our children in the background. Possibly our pets too. Please be patient with us as we adapt to this new normal.” 

Let Your Values Lead the Way

So what do these stories have to do with your business? In every case, strong core values are the very thing that create the company culture and earn a loyal following. In an ever-shifting situation, those values lead the way as companies continue to keep doing what makes them great, even as business changes.

You don’t have to be the CEO of a huge corporation to start applying these lessons to your business. Take some time to consider what matters most to your brand. If you've never written down your values before, get a pen and paper, gather your colleagues on Zoom, and start defining the anchor of your business. Then when change comes, you’ll be able to embrace it and keep going forward.

If you need some help getting started, we have an online course to get you on your way, starting May 26th 2020. Click here to learn more about our upcoming course, Reinvigorating Your Brand During a Crisis.