Don Soderquist, on why ethics are important
While I was at SHRM’s annual conference out in San Diego last week, I was fortunate enough to spend some time talking with Don Soderquist, founding executive of The Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics and former chief operating officer of Wal-Mart, about the importance of ethics and values in business leadership. Among his insights:
- “Values are really the filters through which we process the decisions that we make — and it’s extremely important that we have good filters,” he says. Problems arise when not everyone has the same filters.
- If values are touted at your company but not put into practice, it’s even worse than if you hadn’t mentioned them in the first place. “It is in the acting out of our values on a day-to-day basis that they become alive,” he says.
- Among the key values at Soderquist’s company: trust, integrity and a focus on customer satisfaction. “To me, integrity is at the top of the list.”
Watch our full interview with Soderquist, as well as other conversations with HR thoughtleaders from Smartbrief’s video series with Monster.com.
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Posted by Tom Hood on July 9th, 2010 at 6:43 am
Great post and excelenent points – classic ‘walk the talk’ advice. I think that core values (and I would add core purpose to that) are more critical in today’s whitewater world. Peopole in our organizations are searching for meaning and purpose amidst the chaos – core values are an anchor point for them to hold onto to, as long as theynare real and adhered to. When everything is changing, it is good to knOw what won’t change… Thanks for sharing!
Posted by Raymond on July 9th, 2010 at 7:30 am
Are we really to be taking ethics and leadership advice from a former WalMart exec?
Posted by This week’s most clicked | SmartBlog on Workforce on July 9th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
[...] 3 ways to deliver on your company values [...]
Posted by Mark Allen Roberts on July 10th, 2010 at 2:10 am
Great Post,
Identifying values but not threading them through the fabric of all you do is a violation of trust.
Trust is the foundation of all relationships.
A great book that illustrates the power of living your values is Delivering Happiness as I discuss in my blog : http://nosmokeandmirrors.wordpress.com/2010/07/09…
Delivering Happiness not only feels good, but is highly profitable!
Mark Allen Roberts
Posted by DIrvine Globoforce on July 10th, 2010 at 9:44 am
Great points on Values. As I said in recent post of my own: The problem arises when a company has its STATED values (on a plaque on the wall, coffee mugs, ID badges) that are entirely different from the demonstrated and TOLERATED values. Regardless of the STATED values, it's the TOLERATED values around which the culture is formed.
Think of it this way — ENRON had several stated vales, included integrity. But they sure didn't demonstrate integrity in their work. The company culture was very much one that encouraged deceit and profit at all costs.
So how do you take the values off the plaque on the wall and make them come alive for every employee in their day to day work? The most effective and positive way is through strategic employee recognition. I explain more here: http://bit.ly/aRu3xx
Posted by Dismayed in Ohio on July 11th, 2010 at 3:30 am
Wow! too bad what he THINKS happens at WalMart is not even REMOTELY close to the abuse that poorly paid workers have to take at WalMart stores from "Managers" I previously always defended Walmart until I experienced it first hand! Sam would roll over in his grave if he saw what passes for civility at most WalMart stores.
Posted by Why Leadership and Ethics Go Hand-in-Hand « on July 13th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
[...] VP of Marketing, Jeff Weidauer (follow his blog at The Shelf Edge), forwarded me this interview with Don Soderquist, former chief operating officer for Wal-Mart. Soderquist, who now runs The [...]
Posted by Diane Holmes on July 15th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Don Soderquist remains one of the most admired individuals during my tenure here at Walmart (19 years and counting). He walks the talk! Although retired now, he still is a positive example and promoter of ethics in the workplace. He is as real as they come, whether in the board room, in an interview, or in the donut shop!
Posted by Tony Hawk on July 31st, 2010 at 1:11 am
I worked closely with Don for 10 years while serving as a consultant to Wal-Mart, and then another 6 years as a senior director at the Soderquist Center. I can affirm that Don not only believes in the values he espouses, he truly walks the talk. He will also be the first to tell you that Wal-Mart is not perfect by any means, and not everyone that is asked to live by the values actually does so. But he would also say that is the very reason that any organization should continue to highlight the values and be intentional about building a culture of openness and honesty, such that when it is learned that something or someone is out of line, it can be corrected or improved upon. Values and an ideal that are often beyond our ability to live out perfectly. However, that are ideals that we should strive for. Leaders who strive to to so build great organizations. I know a significant number of the senior leaders and Wal-Mart, and can attest that they strive to get this right every day. I guess that is why Wal-Mart is such a great organization. Not perfect, but great!
Posted by Guest on January 2nd, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Unfortunately Wal-Mart has lost their way since Mr. Soderquist retired. Wal-Mart talks a great game but when it comes to execution they fail miserably. They are the most unethical company I have ever worked for. This is from someone that has lived the culture of backwards thinking.