Values Based Decision Making (2012)

Values Based Decision Making is not about money, or saving money, or clipping coupons. It’s not about getting what you pay for, either. Values based decision making is a cultural attitude that relies upon teaching how to make good decisions rather than attempting to teach specific choices for specific instances. It is a way of aligning individual goals with organizational goals and giving members freedom to choose right from wrong. Values based decision making uses direction from a morale compass to choose the correct response.


As a young man, I joined the US Navy right out of high school. During boot camp, I was broken down and then rebuilt; out with the civilian and in with the sailor. What I have come to realize is that a big part of the rebuilding process included instilling in me values, values that the Navy would expect me to utilize in my future decision making. The US Navy calls these three most basic values their Core Values: Honor, Courage, and Commitment. These were not just taught as three simple words, but I had to learn how each of these words, or values, related to me and my new home, the US Navy. I was shown how using these values helped ensure that my actions and decisions fit with the Navy’s expectations of me. In other words, when I applied the Navy’s core values in my decision making, I had a good chance of making the Navy happy with me.
As leaders, we owe it to our people to ensure they are provided with a similar vision and direction; boundaries and expectations have to be pre-defined. Anything less will not produce desired outcomes in behavior and performance. Teaching our people to make decisions on a values based system is the foundation to building a culture in which people choose right and wrong in a manner that aligns with the organizational needs and beliefs.


So, how do you and/or your organization handle decision making, good or bad? When a member chooses incorrectly, how is it handled? Do you have the integrity to look in the mirror and identify areas for improvement, or do you lash out and criticize? Are you serving your people at a level they deserve, giving them every opportunity to succeed, or are you throwing out open-ended, broad expectations with the hope that someone gets lucky?


Let’s look at a simple example:

Pick a number between one and ten. You have a one in ten chance of being correct. If you’re wrong,  you’ll be brought into the office for counselling, berated in front of your peers, or perhaps even fired. What were you thinking? Isn’t the correct choice obvious!?


Not very fair and certainly not a good way to run any organization. I’ll bet you’ve seen or experienced something like this. I’ve seen it; been on both sides of it. The end result: fear. Fear to decide, fear to act. A feeling of utter futility overcomes any desire to try and do right. No matter what they decide to do, it will likely be wrong and the risk isn’t worth it.


Let’s try this again, but with a little more definition; with a values based application:
Pick a number from one to ten.
On even days, choose an even number; on odd days, choose and odd number.
On cloudy days choose a number less than five; on sunny days, choose a number over five.
The warmer the temperature, the higher the number; the colder temperature, the lower the number.


Much easier now. I have narrowed my expectations, which allows you to choose the same number as me. I have shared the organization’s values with you. The number may not be the number you personally would choose, but it is the number that best suits the organization because you used our organizational values to make your decision.


Each of us was raised differently. We all have a unique set of values we apply when making decisions. Different religions, geographies, and of course parental inputs all combine to form our individual values systems. This is the moral compass that allows us to choose right from wrong or to simply decide the better direction to go. For a leader to expect that everyone around them will make the same choice in the same circumstance is asking for disappointment. Leaders by default are charged with helping their peoples’ goals align to the organizational goals; matching values systems is key to achieving this benchmark.


Look at the example again but rather than choosing from one to ten, choose from one to twenty five. The complexity of the problem has increased, but if I haven’t provided a better values system, you are much less likely to choose a number even close to mine. I have to provide you with a values system that complements the level of decision making I expect you to make. Mistakes will be made, but from a leading position, mistakes must be looked upon as coaching and learning opportunities for both parties. Leaders must self-examine to ensure that the message was transmitted clearly. Did I adequately and clearly express my expectations and provide the tools necessary for you to make good choices? Values based decision making cannot work if I don’t share my values! Sometimes the member misinterprets a message or may have trouble assimilating the organizational values with their inherent values system. Positive reinforcement, praise for effort, and additional coaching should help remedy these issues. Having members explain how and why they made the decisions, right or wrong, will help identify the areas that need correction.



I cannot emphasize enough how important positive reinforcement is. How often do your people only hear from you when they mess up? Praise for even incremental improvements and efforts are key to getting member buy-in for the values system. Allowing members to grow and learn from mistakes will provide the basis of trust that is crucial for any organization to succeed.


Each of us is already a part of a values system, but may not realize it. SOP/SOG’s are a basic values system that outline expected actions in certain instances or under set conditions that should produce a pre-determined outcome. Values that are in writing are the easy ones; difficulty is encountered when we face the “do the right thing when no one is watching” issues. Getting a new recruit to understand why it is not okay to take pictures of the accident scene with his iPhone for Facebook publication is not all that tough. The hard part is remembering to explain it and why it’s important BEFORE it happens. Just because I know it and believe in it doesn’t mean the rest of my crew does.


So the next time you have a firefighter step off the engine without tools or PPE, don’t go berserk. Stop and think; as his or her officer, did I fully explain my expectations? Do they really understand how they fit into the big picture and how being fully prepared on calls is important, even on activated alarms. And when they do step off for the false alarm activation and they are fully dressed with tools, ready to work, thank and praise them  for the effort?