Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It: Why People Demand it

Reinforce Shared Values Through Organizational Systems

The ethic that shared values make a difference has to be part of the organization's living culture. People must understand and agree that this is “the way we do things around here.” Values cannot be just personal; they have to be affirmed by all members of the team. The structures and systems must be in place to reinforce the team's sense that what we say we value, we do.

When systems and structures reinforce shared values, people come to identify themselves as being members of a team and set the expectation that everyone shares in the long-term benefits. Recognizing this interdependency—that no one works or can be successful all alone—creates a strong sense of obligation to assist and support ...