Integrity in Action: Upholding Your Values-Based Business (with free Values Audit!)
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Doing business in today’s day and age, you don’t have to look far for organizations and entrepreneurs that espouse being values-based. Call it what you will — heart-centered, mission-driven, why-centric — there is a considerable trend of businesses wanting to let their values lead. Thanks to Simon Sinek, who I believe has done substantial work in bringing the “Start With Why” philosophy into the mainstream vernacular, we’ve seen a business shift where maximizing shareholder profits isn’t the only marker of success.
From where I stand, this is awesome. I’m squarely in the camp of wanting to shift away from a profit-at-all-costs mentality. However, what I’ve come to notice is that proclaiming these values (even with the best intentions) doesn’t always translate to actually incorporating them into our internal operations.
I’ve seen it firsthand when working with clients who create offerings that speak to the necessity of flexibility and the importance of rest… while simultaneously overworking and operating awfully close to burnout behind the scenes. Externally, what they might exude is a calm demeanor that always puts their needs and self-care practices first, but a peek behind the curtain reveals a disregard for themselves and, ultimately, for their team.
And I’ve certainly been there! Often this pattern happens because of the very human impulse to serve and meet external expectations. It’s just that this pattern also comes with consequences. As business owners and team members rush to meet whatever rigid deadline they set for themselves, it creates a time crunch downstream that impacts both themselves and everyone else on the team. Welcome to dysregulated nervous systems, team resentment, and potential burnout for everyone involved — not to mention more opportunities for honest human error when folx aren’t able to work at a more leisurely pace that suits their optimal working environment.
I’ve also seen companies who are very proud of being forward-thinking and progressive, yet their customer journey and/or marketing strategy are steeped in old ways that are covertly manipulative at best and downright coercive at worst. It makes sense why — at one time or another, every business starts with (or leans on) the scripts and processes that are available, and the most vocal business advice is usually based on a profit-first, human-second mentality.
The question is, how do we flip the script and internalize the values we express in the rest of our business?
If we know our values, why don’t we act in alignment with them more often?
If you consider yourself a values-based business owner, then I would imagine that your values aren’t really a mystery to you.
I would like to believe that, for most of us, what gets in the way of wholly embracing these values in more of the day-to-day is some variation of time constraints, the need for money, a fear for our survival, the overcultural socialization of capitalism, or a combination of all of the above.
And, dear ones, those are all very real needs and fears. It is exceptionally human to feel any one of them and then react in a habitual way like we always have.
I share all of this not to add undo feelings of shame or guilt for not doing it the “right” way (because let’s be honest, there is no right way — only the way that works best for you, in this moment, with your current resources and capacity). Instead, my hope is to encourage you to review how you are working with a deep sense of curiosity for how it might be even more infused with your values. And when you find such an area that could use a little values infusion, instead of considering it a “mistake” and getting caught up in that mental whirlpool, see it instead as a gentle nudge and an opportunity to course correct.
When it comes to shifting entire processes we have in place within a business ecosystem, these updates take time, and they do not have to happen all at once. Knowing that impactful change often takes time might seem discouraging at first, but the flip side also means getting to build toward sustainable practices that create more ease and daily routines to be proud of. Continuous, incremental efforts ultimately allow your business to spend less future time on unnecessary mistakes, interpersonal issues, or charged fight/flight scenarios.
The Importance of Living Our Values Within Business
I honestly believe that owning a business is one way for us to create the world we envision. And…as someone who is more of a quiet revolutionary with a penchant for pragmatism, I can’t help but admire the beauty of fighting the system from within.
Capitalism thrives on exploitation, scarcity, and urgency. When we let values lead, we throw a wrench into that system.
When we can see our clients and customers as humans, not dollar signs, we can speak to them person-to-person about what we provide rather than falling back on coercive marketing tactics. When we can see our teammates as humans, not “resources,” we can take a more honest look at what the business needs in place to help them thrive at work (and hopefully outside of it, too). When we can look at ourselves as humans, and move any amount toward tending to our human needs, we can exploit ourselves that much less and become that much more able to give ourselves the values we sell to others. When we can see the physical goods around us as real objects with very real implications for how they’re sourced, we can take stock of our environmental impact and supply chain, shift our sourcing, or change our shipping policies.
When we sink into the knowing that there is enough for all of us, greed no longer has a foot to stand on and we can look to redistribute our wealth by funding people, causes, and organizations that support our vision for the world we are creating. Depending on our intersections of identity, our privilege, and our current life circumstances, we may also need to be on the receiving end of that wealth redistribution or community support, and it’s just as important to open ourselves to the idea and avenues of being supported. We can approach our financial planning in such a way that honors the natural ebb and flow, so that when in an ebb season, the crunch doesn’t feel quite so crunchy. By allowing ourselves to ride the wave, we build in natural cycles of rest, which ultimately regulate our nervous system and allow us to gain a greater perspective and feel more ease.
When we release the expectation of being “on” all the time, despite our hyper-connected way of being these days, we honor our very real human need for silence, boredom, and blank space. It may feel counterintuitive in our capitalist reality, but as a result, we are more creative and productive after giving ourselves a break. We have been sold a lie that perpetually pushing forward yields the best results. When we can release urgency and lean into rest, creativity thrives in those spaces in between.
I say all of this with the biggest caveat that capitalism is such an overarching ethos that there is no way to be 100% ethical no matter what we do. Almost every part of our culture and resources are completely entrenched in systems that run counter to honoring humanity first. So this is a process of living toward our values, embodying them as much as we can, and using them as guiding lights to get closer to what we each find important. Every amount that we do, there is that much less exploitation, scarcity mentality, and urgency in the world, and that is still a more than worthy pursuit.
When our values are merely words painted on the break room wall rather than guiding principles that inform all of our decisions, it costs the business.
Let me be abundantly clear — I am not immune.
For example, I have absolutely been in that place where work is slow, money is tight, and I feel the enormous pressure to find work at all costs. When this happens, I will say yes to projects with overlapping deadlines and then I find myself burning the candle at both ends. Making time to move my body is the first thing that is sacrificed, which also negatively impacts my sleep, and then I find myself more cranky and more prone to honest mistakes.
In the past, this has created friction within my own team that then requires me to take additional time and emotional labor to adequately repair. Not to mention the amount of time it takes to then build back up that rapport and trust. At all costs, I try not to let any of this impact the client, but there have been times when what I deliver suffers because I’ve been pushing myself too hard. When that happens, and I am not fully delivering on what was promised, I have had to refund unsatisfied clients and end engagements early, which ultimately hurts the business.
When faced with a business decision or when looking at a current practice in your business, here are some guiding questions to begin thinking about what we gain when we center our values.
What value might be in tension here?
Why is this an important value for you?
What could it cost if you don’t center this value in this area of your business? In terms of money, mental/physical wellbeing, social justice, team communication, etc.
The cost to your business
The cost to yourself and/or your team
The cost to your clients
The cost to the collective/external impact
What could be the value of centering this value?
The value to your business
The value to yourself and/or your team
The value to the clients
The value to the collective/external impact
What is getting in the way of centering this value in this area of your business?
What support could you call on?
What structures could you build?
What mindset shift can you adopt to keep this value front and center?
Living Your Values While Honoring Your Humanity
I recognize that there is a fine line with this topic that could easily veer into toxic positivity. I am not naive to the realities of the world in which we live. I do know that there will be times when we take projects that aren’t 100% aligned because we also have to contend with the realities of paying rent and feeding ourselves.
I share all of this with the hope that we can slowly open up to the idea of truly living more in alignment with our values while also honoring the fact that we are humans doing our best, with varying energetic, emotional, physical, mental capacity every day, and also trying to function within deeply oppressive integrated systems that thrive on keeping us powerless.
At this present moment, there may be gaps between the values you hold dear and the actions you’re able to take. That is OK. More than OK. We’re aiming for impact over intention, and reaching for progress, not perfection. Every change, however small, is one step closer to being in alignment with the vision we wish for the world — and that is so very worth it.
I find that the best way to start small is to open yourself up to inquiry. Question all assumptions and start to ask questions. Just because you’ve always done something one way, doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it that way. Dare to think differently.
And then slowly, incrementally, those small questions and tiny steps of progress combine into a tidal wave of change. You may even have a conversation with someone who sees what you’re doing as insurmountable, yet it has all felt inevitable to you as you baby-stepped the whole way.
If you feel inspired to review your values and how you could live into them even more, I encourage you to check out the Values Audit workbook I’ve created for you below. Within those pages, I’ll guide you through how to step into that inquisitive space and identify your values, where there might be gaps between your values and how you’re currently operating, and what is the next right step to take to help you shrink the gap.
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This post was co-authored with Iris Rankin. Iris is a copywriter and project manager who can be found working on communications, online learning creation, and systems refinement here at Team Maggie. Learn more about them (and my other amazing team members!) here.