Values as measures: Value functions, utility functions Value-focused thinking: Distinguishing between means and ends Values as norms: Cultural norms that are upheld in society and organizations
Something else?
When you hear the term values, what are you hearing?
Values as “meta-strategy”
What do you make of the distinction between how we treat others and our purpose?“Our purpose for our business is essentially how we want this business to affect outsiders while how we treat others (either in the company or those we work with) is the values with
which we want to run the business/our lives/our work ethic.” — Sita Kumar
What can brushing our teeth teach us about values?
Systemic Value: Count of # times we’ve brushed Practical Value: Dental Hygiene Intrinsic Value: Personal well-being
Let’s try it. Go back to your list. Is there anything that you think represents what you were really after?
What can be counted does not really count.
What counts cannot really be counted.
The great poets of the world speak of this
The one who confuses the label water for water is
naïve indeed. Repeating “water, water,” such a
one is destined to die of thirst.Sufi poet, Zaheen Shah Taji
Note: He is criticizing the conflation of the label with the experience,
not the use of labels themselves
The great poets of the world speak of this
Repeating “fire, fire” produces not a scratch on the lip An ember on your lip will immediately burn it.
Sufi poet, Zaheen Shah Taji
Note: He is criticizing the conflation of the label with the experience, not the use of labels themselves
Intrinsic values are about finding your deepest values, and there are signs to
recognize them
Shake Emotional
Silence
The small truth has words that are clear. The great truth has great silence.
..Rabindranath Tagore
Intrinsic values have a quality of uniqueness
Test: Are most people likely to say “me too” for your intrinsic value? If yes, we need to keep looking.
The focus here is on those values that stir you in an odd and unique way
Intrinsic Values are about what’s Sacred to you
“I recently read the book I Am Malala and was struck by a part of her writing that I would label sacred service. She wrote that if she met
another Taliban like the one that shot her in the head, she would not retaliate but tell them how important education was for all children.”
— Caitie
“Sacred Service makes one feel incredibly light. I feel this is something that come from the deep innate desire of doing something good for
others. I feel I have received a lot of sacred service in the past.” — Lisa Li
“In my work with public sector service providers, I occasionally met people who had been in the "business" for decades and, still, diligently
'dotted the is and crossed the ts'. They did not feel it was hard and believed that it was their higher calling.” — Asim
We got stuck while doing a traditional DA consulting workshop
Our remit: Help us double our revenues from $500M to $1B
M&A Strategy
Check opportunity for fit with packaging “traits” Only if there is fit, let’s look at the numbers
Quote from hard-nosed M&A expert: “I have never seen a soft tool work this well”
Observation
• Human mind shuts down when faced with numbers e.g. goals like double market share, revenues, etc.
• Creativity springs forth with inspiration e.g. Indian branch story, going from $2M to $30M
Questions for you• “The sacred service venture made me wonder if our venture needs
to be volunteer-based and not for profit. Or should it only be for a fee that maintains the business.”
• “How do you measure how much social value you have created? Would you say a company like Uber (solves transportation problem for middle/upper income people in developed country) is more valuable than a knowledge sharing platform for agricultural workers in India? It's much harder to create the same amount of value if you are serving people in developing countries. However, it seems like providing the same product/service to developing regions would make a bigger impact. How can ventures for developing regions justify the amount of social value they created?”
Associative Logic Error
Feynman’s Cargo Cult Science
Jainism
“Khuda Key Liye” - “For God’ Sake”
Non-Violence in Violence
Aikido
Questions for you• “How is it possible to do business and seek nothing
in return?”
• Extreme Variant: “How is it possible to fight without a trace of hatred?”
Mahatma Gandhi
SatyagrahaUpliftment
of all
Truth
Head Heart
Habit
Sarvodaya
DaanUpliftment
of all
Love
Head Heart
Habit
Sarvodaya
Vinoba Bhave
Bhoodan
Question for us
“What is the best process for flushing out simplistic values of a venture when it is a complex problem with a complex solution?”
Values of SmartOrg
Having fun making
organizations Smarter
People co-creating Magic
Prudential Intrinsic
Systemic
Making a Difference
that Matters Amazing
Capabilities
Awesome Software:
That inspires, enables and empowers
Professional Experience:
Practical knowledgeable staff who can do and coach
Thought Leadership: Show the way to solve real
problems Improve:
Build Customer’s Capability
Service: Proactively
and responsively
serve the real need
Excellence: High quality
practical rigor
Great Relationships: Among ourselves, with
vendors, with clients
Whole Person: SmartOrg is where personal passion
meets the productive world
Situational Leadership:
Follow & lead, with responsibility
and accountability
VALUES as NORMS e.g. SmartOrg
Complete Integrity:
Honesty, openness, trust and
trustworthiness.
Ongoing Learning:
Ongoing Personal, Professional and
Team Development
Impact: Empowering
customers to achieve their most important
objectives
Financial Stewardship:
Sustain the business and the
people in it
Prosperity
Performance: Accomplishing
what we set out to do
Enjoyment: Work enlivens
Mapping your values (as meta-strategy)
? ?
?
YOU
Head Heart
Habit
Great Decisions Every
Time
Full Truth in Every Opportunity
Agile Decision Support Systems
Head Heart
Habit
The professional
field you count yourself in
You show up and this shows
up
A goal that is deeply inspiring and an end-in-
itself for you
Find your purpose (meta-strategy) is an act of deep listening
Things that have worked for me
You can be a friend to someone Look for silence, emotion, shuddering
Test the values – if any one is missing, is something big missing?
Look for uniqueness, not universality
The professional
field you count yourself in
Intellectual Energy
Mapping your meta-strategy
? ?
?
YOU
Head Heart
HabitYou show up
and this shows up
Unstoppable Energy
A goal that is deeply inspiring and an end-in-
itself for you
Emotional Energy
Couple’s Meta-StrategyHospitality Welcoming
Spaces
Celebration
Head Heart
Habit
John
M&A —> ? Healing
Detachment
Head Heart
Habit
MaryBefore: Mary wondered about
helping John in his hotel business.
After: Mary is working on a transition to becoming a
therapist
CEO’s Meta-Strategy
Energy Efficiency
Ecosystem Solutions
Visionary Change
Head Heart
Habit
Doug/ Retrofit Company
Vasper’s Meta-strategy
Intelligent Exercise
Healing like a child
BioMimicry
Head Heart
Habit
Vasper Systems
Apple’s Meta-strategy
Remove Drudgery
Support rebels who want to change
the world
Zen Minimalism
Head Heart
Habit
Apple
Google’s Meta-strategy
Organize world’s
informationImprove Lives
Machine Learning
Head Heart
Habit
In Summary• Values as Meta-Strategy is upstream of all practical
considerations
• This is about the mountain you want to climb (distinct from how you want to walk on the road)
• The highest given in a decision e.g. We commit to strategic fit (safe, natural, etc.)
• All economic value calculations are Systemic values
Given
Current
Future
“How do you extend the values to your peers? How do you instill the values in people you hire? How do you internalize these values without flaunting them publicly to attract attention?”
Systematizing to get to the value is essential, but it is not the value
Systems drive action. (police story)
Public Safety Dignity of Client
Education
Head Heart
Habit
SUDPS
Somik’s lens on SUDPS
SYSTEM: Hire highly educated people who resonate with “dignity of client”
What’s your music?
Under the sky studded with the sun and myriad stars, In a universe throbbing with life, I've received my little space. In sheer wonder, music springs from the depths of my soul.
…Rabindranath Tagore
1. Pair with someone from a team other than yours. 2. Speaker: Share deeply on what is deeply important
Listener: Listen deeply to the sharing. Parse heart and habit (ignore head for now)
Let’s try mapping your venture’s meta-strategy
How do you know you’ve found something intrinsic?Silence, emotional, shaking
HEAD: Intellectual Energy (ignore for now) HEART: Emotional Energy
HABIT: Unstoppable Energy