Nope, it’s not a song, but it could result in a beautiful harmony.
What if there was a magic pill that filled you with hope, fueled your innovative juices, and enabled you to trust the people and organizations that impact your life? Sadly, there’s no magic pill, but this possibility is a choice you can make. In this post, I want to suggest that you have the power to create norms of your own choosing that may be a real HIT for you, i.e., fill you with Hope, Innovation, and Trust (HIT).
We are all impacted by the cultures and contexts in which we live, learn, and work. For the most part, we are largely unaware of how strongly our day-to-day choices are being influenced by whatever culture we happen to be in at any given moment.
If you go from one house to another, you will enter a different culture and context. If you change jobs, you will enter an entirely different culture than the one to which you have grown accustomed. If you move to another country, you may be shocked by the differences in what’s “normal.”
One of the most empowering notions I ever learned was that it is possible to create norms of your own choosing. Families often have unwritten (or written) rules or expectations that govern a household. Many organizations post values and norms on their walls and websites to help define who they are or who they aspire to be. In my experience, the norms that work best are those that are chosen and embraced by the people they are meant to influence. When people have a voice in creating the kind of culture they want, they are more likely to make decisions that are aligned with the stated values and norms. I have discussed the three types of trust and building trust in previous posts, but this one deals specifically with the importance of Hope, Innovation, and Trust in our lives and in society at large.
Based on years of research and work with hundreds of organizations, I developed a list of norms that any group might consider for their anchors and beacons. You may want to invite the members of your family or organization to pick the five most important norms to them and then discuss how you might bring those values and norms to life. Just for fun, take a minute and select the five most important norms under each value you would like to instill in any particular setting that could result in a positive HIT to your life.
Hope:
- We resist cynicism
- We embrace idealism
- We acknowledge progress
- We believe that positive change is possible
- We are persistent and resilient
- We engage in what feels important
- We don’t quit
- We develop agency for ourselves and others
- We are courageous and perseverant
- We build broad based coalitions
- We look for rays of sunshine in the clouds of grief
- We are aligned with our purpose
- We engage in activism that can change the world incrementally
- We sustain our commitment to act in an uncertain and unpredictable world
Innovation:
- We always seek ways do things better – we believe in continuous improvement
- We seek progress, not perfection
- We have clearly defined measures of success
- We envision what’s possible
- We offer suggestions
- We adopt and adapt to changing conditions
- We execute flawlessly
- We continuously generate new ideas
- We transform creative concepts into tangible outcomes
- We address unmet needs
- We encourage risk-taking
- We seek out diverse perspectives
- We ensure psychological safety when speaking up
- We foster experimentation and iteration
- We balance autonomy and accountability
- We are curious
- We build on and credit each other’s ideas
- We ask questions
- We collaborate
- We are open
- We welcome new ideas
- We feel free to express ourselves without fear of retribution
- We value and respect differences
- We welcome feedback
- We ask for help when needed
Trust:
- We are Credible – we make evidence-based decisions based on rigorous analysis
- We are Reliable – we do what we say we are going to do when we say we will do it
- We are Empathic – we demonstrate understanding to others’ thoughts and feelings
- We are Driven by our purpose and principles – our direction is oriented to the larger good
- We are authentic – we say what we say
- We are honest – we say what we do
- We are humble – we check our ego at the door
- We are open – we welcome feedback
- We are transparent
- We are conscious – we do what we do
- We are consistent, predictable and conscientious
- We seek to hear unheard perspectives
- We look for common ground
- We sacrifice for the common good – we are not selfish
- We analyze and research before we make statements
- We challenge narratives
- We seek to find the truth
- We seek ways to help others succeed
- We inquire about others’ interests
Please note, under the value of Trust, that the first four norms form the acronym CRED: Credible, Reliable, Empathic, and Driven by purpose and principles vs. power and profits. To me, these four norms are critical in establishing institutional trust and in being trustworthy to our family, friends, fellow students, and co-workers.
When there is insufficient hope, innovation, and trust, relationships can quickly turn into win-lose battles that often degenerate into lose-lose outcomes. We see that phenomenon in foreign relationships as well as in family dynamics or organizational cultures. Developing grow-grow relationships, or even win-win relationships for that matter, requires a sense of hope, a spirit of innovation, and feelings of trust. I believe, and have seen, that people working together for the common good can inculcate the norms listed above in groups and cultures of different shapes and sizes. We have the power to create norms of our own choosing. We simply need the intention and the will.
In a world in which hope is hard to hold and trust is tragically threatened, inculcating these values and norms can make a huge difference in our lives. I’m hoping more of us are able to create real harmony among the groups in which we are involved. I’m hoping we will find that embracing them, sharing them, nurturing them, and rewarding them will turn out to be the greatest HITs of all time. May it be so.
Also published on Medium.
Well done lad!
One of your best Rick! Loved it!