A Framework for Defining the Values We Want to be Known FOR

While the best organizations I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with or studying are indeed build on foundation of strong values, it never happens by chance. Even the best of intentions won’t come close to producing the lasting results we’re capable of achieving when we develop the discipline of adhering to a simple framework. And that framework needs to be one for defining the values we want our organizations to be known FOR…

For several years, Cindy and I served on the President’s Advisory Council of Maxwell Leadership. Through most of that time, our role was to support folks around the world in hosting their own local Live2Lead event. Volunteering in that capacity helped us develop a closer relationship with Mark Cole, who later on wrote the foreword for What’s KILLING Your Profitability? (It ALL Boils Down to Leadership!) and will be the closing keynote speaker at The 2025 LeadershipLegacy Experience on June 13, but we also got to know a fellow named Jeff Henderson. I referenced the initial call where we first met Jeff earlier as I challenged you to consider Who Really Cares About Your Values? and I shared the three powerful questions that Jeff posed for each of us on that call. With all we’ve covered to this point, now is where those questions matter most. The framework we’re about to work through will be incredibly simple; a bunch of pomp and circumstance just won’t stick. But if we’re not willing to be completely transparent in how we answer each of those questions, we’ll be kidding ourselves and doing a disservice to every team member counting on us for leadership. As a quick reminder, here are the questions again:

1. What DO YOU WANT to be known for?
2. What ARE YOU known for?
3. Do they match?

Asking ourselves these three basic questions is simple. Answering them honestly, especially if we’re not happy with our answers, takes quite a bit of courage - at least it did for us!

I’ve studied leadership, communication, and human behavior more in my life than any other topics. Cindy and I have worked closely with some amazing leaders and their entire organizations as we’ve pursued what we now list as our mission statement: “Improving Your Profitability by Building Better Leaders.” Through all that, we’ve spoken with leaders across the United States about the importance of ensuring each individual on their team has complete clarity about how the work they’re responsible for ties back to their organization’s mission, vision, and values. While we were seeing many of them achieve solid results, we realized we were the cobblers who had no shoes. Although Cindy and I definitely shared a some deeply held values that have helped us build a strong marriage and business partnership, we hadn’t taken the time to put them to paper for anyone to see. We realized that to have the IMPACT we truly wanted to have, we needed to lead by example in this area as much as in any other. So here are the cobblers’ shoes:

• Intentionality - We are intention in everything we do, ensuring we make a positive difference daily;
• Measurability - Measuring the results we help each client achieve;
• People - People first in every decision we make;
• Action - Because that’s what people see, hear, and feel;
• Community - Building strong relationship with and between the organizations we serve;
• Together - Because no one makes a lasting IMPACT by themselves!

I won’t begin to pretend that these are perfect, but they’re ours. And you’re welcome to reach out to either of us on any given day if you’d like to go into detail about how we work to model each of these in our lives and through the work we do. That said, we wouldn’t have been able to have the same kind of conversation around any of our values just a few years ago; we’ve had to work extremely had at identifying exactly what we wanted to be known for - so we’ll pick up there next time.