Advice for new managers: correctly defending your core values

This post is part of Setting the Tone in the Your Plan of Action series for those new to the executing team (also called management by some. But not by the enlightened readers of this site.).

So far we’ve focused on how to positively shape the tone of your organization for success. Leaders put their stamp on their organizations most powerfully in this way.

However from time to time you will be required to define the other side of tone, and take action when people act in ways destructive to what you are trying to create.

This is another of those areas that is your job, and no one else’s. As a rule, never delegate the delivery of bad news. If you find an encounter difficult, there are ways to manage that, and we’ll cover some of them as we move into material from the second half of the book.

But if you want to lead, you’ve got to lead from the front. This means that hard decisions and bad news are yours exclusively. When people talk about accountability, this is part of what they mean.

Core values: know what yours are

Every leader has to decide what the core values are in their leadership philosophy, and act to protect those values when they are threatened. All of the aspects of the philosophy of leadership that we’re talking about in this project are important to me. Honesty, integrity, teamwork, and accountability are the cornerstones of effective leadership.

And although I always defend each of the values, I personally always act most swiftly to defend the integrity of the team. The very few times that I’ve had to dismiss individuals from my organization I have done so because of blatant anti-team behavior.

There are obviously lots of things that should be done before you get to the “nuclear option” of HR: the pink slip. But when taking any of these corrective actions, you have to be careful to do it right. Here’s my list—

Corrections done correctly

• Be clear in what you say. Don’t finesse.
• Explain the infraction and its impact.
• Get the facts.
• Presume innocence and ignorance over guilt and malfeasance.
• When correcting bad behavior, start small.
• Escalate punishment methodically.
• Correct at the lowest appropriate level in your organization (don’t punish everyone for the actions of a few).
• Stay legal—consult with you HR folks first if appropriate.

I’ll cover a few thoughts about each of these points in the next post.