HOW STRONG VALUES DRIVE CONFIDENT DECISION MAKING

Essentially, the total sum of these decisions is crucial to our success, and yet we want our people to make these decisions autonomously. We enable our team to do this with confidence because behind each of these decisions sit our three Brevity values:

1. We are progressive and pioneering
2. We get sh** done and we are there for the team
3. We are humbly confident and always take the high road

These values are expressed in our culture, in what we stand for, our internal processes and how we communicate with those inside and outside of Brevity. In action, they might look different for different people, and in different situations, but the same underlying threads run throughout our thinking and actions. Whether that’s working quietly in the background to deliver above expectation, bringing some fun into the office, taking the initiative to pick up a job that’s fallen through the cracks, or calling out something that’s not right.

When it comes to making decisions, team members use the values to provide direction and guidance on how to act. Having a deep understanding of what this looks like, gives our team the confidence to make decisions and keep moving forward. In being progressive and pioneering, for example, we often see employees questioning our current systems and processes, and making suggestions for how to improve them. This approach allows for more innovation, as there is a shared expectation to try fresh approaches, mistakes are accepted as part of learning, and new ideas are celebrated.

We constantly recognise examples of our values being lived by highlighting them in our weekly leadership meetings, our department meetings and our daily stand ups. So when we called for nominations for the inaugural Brevity Values Awards, it was no surprise that the team had plenty of examples to share.

The benefit of value-led leadership has been well documented, including the retention of staff. It was heartwarming to see the respect team members had for each other.  In reading the comments the team made about each other, it was obvious how connected they felt to the values and how highly they regarded each other with respect to these.

In summary, the Brevity Values Awards evening was the perfect occasion to recognise the individuals who excelled in their execution of our values,  it was also a recognition of the strength of our team, and the deeply felt respect and connection they have to each other and the organisation through our shared values.