I work with a client now that had a poster made of the top 10 values for the IT department. For example, one of them talks about IT being a service organization. The posters are everywhere, the values are good, and the values reflect the values of the leader.
Easy enough to make a poster and put up a pretty list. Some will scoff, but it’s really a bet and a contract. You better believe that the first time the leaders don’t live up to a value they will hear about it. It can easily turn into a Dilbert type joke. On the other hand, if you can live up to your values, it’s powerful to say that – to be willing to post them in every hallway, every office.
It’s not a values poster, it’s a culture poster. It shapes the culture every day. Yes, it can start to blend into the background after a while, but it doesn’t disappear.
What might you put on a culture poster for your team? Values? Attitude? What would you want your next possible hire to see about your team when they were waiting for the interview?
