values

5 Painful Lessons from Value Driven Leadership

What is value-driven leadership? Simply put, it’s leading by creating a common set of values and goals that everyone agrees to and aspires to uphold, then doing your best to get out of the way! It can be very painful, however, because having a strong culture with clear values, means living up to them. Here are 5 Painful lessons I have learned while trying my very best to do value driven leadership as CEO…. In reverse order to the #1 most painful lesson.

 5. The values you create can make you feel trapped because you yourself have to live up to them. The lesson is don’t create values of your company that you can’t live up to!

 4. Getting out of the way is hard to do. It’s especially hard when you know how to do the job better and faster than the person who’s job it is to do it. That’s really hard… The lesson is, you have to be able to let someone fail, and let them come to you for help. As soon as you break the rule and do the job for them, without them asking for help, you’ve broken the value-driven leadership.

 3. Recruiting is harder. Finding people is just plain hard because you know they have to both match the values of the company AND be able to do the job. Creating a good set of screening questions is key.

 2. It hurts when you have to let someone go. They probably do live up to many aspects of your culture and you’ve grown to like them… but either they can’t do the job, or more likely, there has been some value mismatch you didn’t catch on #3 above. The lesson is, do it quickly, before you become too attached (if you can)… and if not, do it as soon as you are sure there is a core value mismatch.

Finally…

#1

1. It hurts really bad when people decide to quit. Especially when they were a perfect match for value and role… or then again, maybe they weren’t a perfect match after all. Either way, the trick here is to move on quickly, but stay in touch… you never know, Austin is a small town!

How Intel Corp. Won my Heart as an Employee

Have you ever had that feeling that “work sucks”?  Ever felt ‘stuck’ in a job and wishing you had a better boss, a better role, a better pay, etc.?   Now, when you changed jobs… ever wish for the old days?   I can tell you unequivocally that I have felt both feelings, but my time as a Chip Designer and Chip Architect at Intel Corp. was most decidedly different than any job hence.

So, what was it about working at Intel Corp. that won my heart?

I began working at Intel in Oregon in 1999.  I quickly learned 3 things: 1. Intel takes training seriously.  2. Intel cares a lot about their employees.  3. Intel truly does believe in culture.

The New Hire Orientation at Intel was extensive and serious.  They taught you all about the Intel Corporate Values and the Intel Benefits and such…  It was 3 days of serious reading, lecture and work… all well organized and seemingly useful.  I had serious doubts about Intel’s supposed “Values” however…. did companies really do that?

Well, I was wrong. Intel takes values very seriously.  Not only did they pass out a badge with their values on the back, hang signs everywhere, and talk about their values constantly… but also:
    1. their 360 feedback process for raises and evaluation was centered primarily on our adherence to Intel’s Values.
   2. The training didn’t end.  I was required to take 1 or 2 courses from “Intel U” every quarter…and sometimes more.
   3. As I proceeded into more management type roles, I was required to take a course that stuck with me to this day: 7-Habits of Highly Effective People.  An excellent course, from Dr. Stephen Covey himself.

And then I realized suddenly, I was LIVING Intel’s Values:
   1. I was taking smart risks at work, and getting rewarded with promotions.
   2. I was helping keep Intel a great place to work, participating in and organizing company-sponsored events and joining the Emergency Response Team.
   3. I was involved in Intel organized community events and “clean-ups”.
   4. I was focused on Quality and Innovation.
   5. I was keeping open and direct in my communications.

Wow, this culture of Intel had invaded my soul… and everyone around me, from my coworkers to my bosses to Executive VPs were doing the same.  All on the same page about what makes Intel Great.

So now, as I reflect on those days, I realize, what made Intel win my heart was simple… they really meant those “core values” they preached to us in orientation.  They LIVED by those values, and so did I.  It felt good to be part of something “real”… that was just what they said it was: they practiced what they preached: and that’s how they’ve kept a lead on an industry for more than 50 years.