Good Comes First – How Leaders Build Respect That Drives Results
Many business owners believe their focus should be on results, and for them that means monetary success. But what about values and behaviors? Where does respect come in?
After reading my book, The Culture Engine, tennis star Venus Williams recognized that her businesses weren’t where she wanted them to be. She brought me on board to help her create a positive, purposeful culture where respect was as important as results. She credits that cultural shift as key to the survival of those businesses during the pandemic. Cultures that lead with respect outperform those that don’t. Why? Because when good comes first, results follow!
In practical terms, “good” is not about being nice. Nice leaders may not provide clear standards, expect respectful behavior, or hold themselves consistently accountable, and therefore may not be good leaders. We’re focusing on good that is grounded in your organization’s servant purpose and observable, measurable behaviors. We’re focused on being leaders who model, coach, monitor, and celebrate our organization’s values and behaviors daily.
Business leaders shape company culture whether they are intentional about it or not. Culture by default is rarely purposeful, rarely positive, and rarely consistently productive. So, it’s best to be intentional. Culture is shaped by the behaviors leaders tolerate. Toxic behavior, even from your top sales staff, must not be tolerated. Disrespect breeds more disrespect in the office – along with frustration, burnout, and worse. Effective leaders model respect and don’t allow disrespectful behaviors to go unchecked.
In practical terms, “good” is not about being nice. Nice leaders may not provide clear standards, expect respectful behavior, or hold themselves consistently accountable
Creating a culture of respect can’t be delegated to the HR department. Posters won’t lead the way to a better work culture. An uncompromising work culture is led by and reinforced by top leaders. It begins with leaders who live the values daily and refuse to ignore disrespectful behaviors.
How does good drive results? It’s simple, really. When a company’s culture is respectful, when employees’ ideas, efforts, and contributions are validated, we see an increase in engagement, accountability, and collaboration. More specifically, companies that sustain a Good Comes First culture enjoy increases* in the following:
- Profits by 35%
- Productivity by 35%
- Customer satisfaction by 40%
- Employee engagement by 40%
- Retention of key employees by 100%
- Employee referrals up to 250%
All of these benefits are sustained when team members feel respected and validated.
If you have not defined your company’s values and servant purpose, I challenge you to do so now. There is no time like the present. Craft a culture where good comes first. Define the values and behaviors you want leaders and team members to demonstrate. Be intentional about modeling those valued behaviors consistently and make sure all leaders do the same. Address misaligned behaviors quickly and set free those who choose to ignore those values.
When leaders put “good” first, great results become sustainable.
*Edmonds, S. C., & Babbitt, M. S. (2021), Good Comes First (pp. 11–12). BenBella Books, Inc.
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