Core Values Must Be Tested
"Your core values aren't values until they are tested." - Bob Richey - Furman Basketball
Most high-performing organizations have a defined set of core values. You see them everywhere - on the letterhead, signs on the wall or on the back of t-shirts. They are the non-negotiables, the things you stand for and really believe in.
The problem with many organizations is they don't turn these core values into action or behavior. A lot of times they are just words you see on the wall, or things you say at the end of a practice or a meeting. They are just words or phrases, and most people in the organization can see right through them, because the behavior they see doesn't match up.
I love Bob Richey's quote about testing your core values. They aren't actually your core values until they are tested. If you say you stand for integrity, what do you do when one of your team members lies to you? That is when your core value is tested. If you look the other way on dishonesty because you need to keep it moving and it wasn't that big of a deal, then integrity really isn't a core value. When the value got tested, you didn't stand up for it.
If you talk about competing as one of your core values, but you bend towards talent and play the guys with the most ability who don't really compete, guess what? Competing isn't really a core value for you. Competing may be something you like to see, but it's not a core value. You want your kids to compete, but you don't value it enough to stand up for it when it is tested.
If you really value good ball movement, what do you do with the one on one scorer who becomes a ball stopper to try and get a basket? He's talented and can get a bucket, but he doesn't move the ball the way the rest of the team does. Do you get on him to move the ball, or do you let him take his 5-6 dribbles and try and work his man to get a bucket? If you are going to let him get his and not move the ball, then it's not something you value. And that is fine - that may be how you want to coach, and it might be best for your team. You may want your best player to play iso ball because you need him to score. But if you do, ball movement really isn't a core value.
Values have to become behaviors for them to be effective and have any real impact. They are more than the phrase on your shooting shirts. You want to define the behaviors that represent your values - first for yourself, then for your team - but then you have to hold your team accountable towards those behaviors. Reward them when you see the right ones, correct them when you don't.
If your values are real, they are going to get tested consistently. When they do, you have to be willing to fight for them. You have to know what really matters to you and what that looks like in practice. If your values get tested and you aren't willing to fight for them, they aren't really values. They are simply things you like to see.