Many companies publish values. A real analysis or comparison of those can not be performed by just desk research and taking the words, but needs to look into shown actions, the translation of them into the real world. This blog is an effort to do so. Below is an effort to translate my employer’s values into more tangible – almost measurable – results for me. Not that I can always live up to them – see the last sentence below – but they are rules one may measure me against.

Result and future orientation

• Time is time. 5 minutes late is a reason, 20 minutes late is apple pie.
• On which date does ASAP fall this year?
• If I would show my working space to my partner (or mother) I would be proud of it.

Responsibility and sustainability

• Reputation comes first. A client is happy with our relationship, also after it ended.
• I help a client to ensure that her customer is happy with their relationship, also after it ended.
• The same applies to an employee of ‘my’ department.

Initiative and determination

• Constructive criticism is an alternative.
• Constructive criticism is a gift.
• If someone gives me such a gift, I will feed back what I did with that gift.

Openness and trust

• My manager hears all negative issues in/about my department from me first, nothing will be held back.  
• Unless a client or colleague can monitor herself, she hears all effects of my department on hers from me first.
• My team hears everything that is appropriate for them from ‘upper management’ from me. In case they hear anything via the grapevine it is per definition not correct, complete or sure.

Fairness

• When I have something (negative) to say about a person, I will communicate that to her first.
• The reward for an employee is only based on performance and not on negotiation skills.
• My evaluations I could explain to both the evaluated person and her colleagues.

Reliability, credibility and legality

• Unless I indicate differently beforehand, my personal SLA is:
  • An e-mail longer than one screen or with an attachment will get a response within a week. .
  • An e-mail shorter than one screen will get a response the next working day.
  • A telephone call before noon will get a response that same working day.
• To facilitate others in the above I will not send hasty/’superfluous cc’ communication.
• I will not bcc to ‘cover my back’.

Diversity

• If someone always agrees with me, she does not add value to my team.
• If I notice (likely) injustice in the organization I will actively escalate, with appropriate energy and via the appropriate channels.
• I make at least one mistake per day. Please help me to discover them.