I know it was a couple of weeks ago now but I couldn’t let the month end without talking about Eurovision, though possibly not the incident you’re expecting. For those who missed it (which should, in my view, be a criminal offence) this year’s competition was won by the bonkers and brilliant Netta from Israel with a song inspired by the #metoo movement.
You can watch it here.
The Eurovision Song Contest was actually invented, in part, as a response to the Second World War – an attempt to build bridges, mutual respect and understanding between countries within a war-torn continent. It launched in 1956 and initially involved just seven countries. By the end of the 20th Century and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, that number had increased to more than 40.
Despite the many diverse countries and cultures involved, it’s hard to deny that Eurovision has become a bastion for diversity; a place where difference is truly celebrated. It’s a competition where a transsexual, a bearded drag queen and a heavy rock band dressed as monsters have all won. Now, we can add to this list a self-proclaimed ‘big girl’ who, as a child thought she couldn’t be a pop star because she wasn’t ‘beautiful and skinny’.
Eurovision’s governing body is the EBU, an alliance of public service media organisations, which today comprises 73 members in 56 countries. (Any country that belongs to this organisation can enter, which explains Israel and Australia’s involvement in a competition, which sounds like it should be restricted to European countries.) The EBU’s guiding values include ‘diversity’, whilst it’s Editorial Principles includes ‘being fair and respectful’.
These are principles that were challenged this year when in the first Semi-Final the Chinese broadcaster, Mango TV, censored the Irish entry, which contained an LGBTQ love story, and Albania’s performance because of tattoos. The EBU’s response was swift and decisive. They terminated their relationship with Mango and banned them from broadcasting the second Semi-Final or the Grand Final, stating, “This is not in line with the EBU’s values of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music.”
It's not the first time the EBU has determinedly stood up for its principles; it has a proud history of telling countries threatening to censor certain performances, “Show it all, or you can’t show it at all”.
Most organisations have published values, and in today’s age of social media, it’s perhaps never been so important for an organisation to live by a clear set of principles that it shares with its customers. But an organisation with values that appear to be only skin-deep will, sooner or later, be caught out – which, perhaps explains the outcry over Marks and Spencer’s
‘cauliflower steak’. So much packaging didn't seem like a great example of ‘
Plan A’.
Creating, sharing and living by a clear set of values isn’t just important at organisational level – it can be an important part of creating an effective team spirit, energy and passion within any team. Within Trainers’ Library, you’ll find lots of materials that will help learners explore their shared values, and learn to live and communicate these values together on a daily basis:
Our values (or, as we call them, passions) are, and always have been, to be innovative, customer-focused, socially responsibly and team spirited – these are the platform upon which our strategic goals are built. And the name Glasstap came from our desire to be open and transparent, whilst tapping into potential.
What principles do you think it’s important for organisations to live by and what values does your team share?
I am very happy for you to share my blogs, or use them in any training you deliver. I also love getting feedback on my blogs, good or bad, and having my views challenged, so please do post a comment below.