The Puppet Speaks: Walk the Talk of Your Values
There are many ways to walk your talk. One way is to make sure that how you run your business is congruent with your values. The example below illustrates one way to measure how much your behavior is in line with the values most important to you.
One of my clients is a contractor who focuses on remodels, a tough business in some cities due to uncertainty in the housing market. In this climate it's even more important for my client to continue cultivating and nurturing relationships with architects and other people who can refer business to him. It's also crucial that he steps up his "walking the talk"--he does what he says he'll do, and his words and actions match.
To make sure this client is walking his talk, the client, the Puppet, and I looked at his primary value, communication. Then we looked at his whole business to see if he was actually communicating.
The good news: he is communicating. His clients know exactly where their projects stand, his subcontractors know their next steps, and his suppliers know when to deliver material.
The bad news is that every word goes through him. The client is on his cell phone pretty much all the time, including 7 a.m. on Sunday morning, reassuring a worried client or talking to a subcontractor about the following day's work. You can see he holds the value of communication very highly, even occasionally to the detriment of his family life. The Puppet had plenty to say about this, as you can imagine.
We've been working on ways he can communicate to everyone consistently and frequently that doesn't involve him touching his cell. The solution is simple: he prepares a weekly report on every job, which he sends to the client, the subcontractors and suppliers. And yet, like many simple solutions, it has been challenging to implement. My client has to take the time to write the reports (which means he might have to refuse some of the phone calls initially). He also has to show everyone (including himself) that these reports are better than him being available by phone 24x7.
Ponder these questions. And be brave about your responses. The Puppet's rooting for you.
1. What is one of the primary values that you use to run your business?
2. Are your actions congruent with that primary value (do you walk your talk)?
3. Does your primary value drive behavior in your business in a way that isn't good for you?
4. Is there different way to honor that value?
Answering these questions for yourself will help you evaluate how true you are to your most important value.