Many companies have a set of guiding principles or core values that they claim to uphold. The language is often similar, with references to integrity, respect, innovation, excellence, accountability, transparency and teamwork. The words are convincing. The problem is that reality often does not match the rhetoric.
Creating a list of values is easy. With tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, this can be done in seconds. Talking about values is also easy. The hardest part is making sense of these values in daily operations.
There are two main challenges.
First, leaders must genuinely care about building a values-driven organization. Otherwise, it just won’t happen. Over the years, I have worked with many CEOs, and the truth is that values are not a priority for most of them. They may sometimes talk about the importance of culture and principles, but too often the conversation seems performative. Employees are usually quick to recognize the difference between authentic leadership and empty messages.
Second, implementing values requires ongoing commitment and discipline. It’s not enough to reference them during onboarding or display them on a conference room wall. For values to matter, they must be integrated into the way the business operates every day.
So what does this look like in practice?
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First, values should be discussed during the hiring process. Candidates whose personal values conflict significantly with the organization’s values should be disqualified, even if they appear highly qualified on paper.
Second, values should play a significant role in performance evaluations. A salesperson who consistently exceeds his quota but is dishonest, difficult to work with, or undermines his colleagues should not receive a positive review simply because of his numbers. Results matter, but how they are achieved matters just as much.
Third, organizations should regularly and anonymously survey their employees about the extent to which the company is living up to its stated values. Results should be shared transparently across the organization, including areas where improvement is needed. Although sometimes uncomfortable, transparency builds credibility. Most importantly, leaders must develop and implement action plans that address concerns raised by employees.
This raises an important question: why is implementing values worth it?
Beyond idealism, there is a practical business reason.
The best employees are rarely those who view work as a simple transaction. These people primarily focus on compensation, promotions, and resume building. While there is nothing inherently wrong with these motivations, they are often insufficient to maintain engagement when challenges arise.
The strongest employees are often what I call “dreamers.” They care about compensation and career advancement, but they are also driven by purpose. They want to improve customers’ lives, do work they’re proud of, collaborate with people they respect, work in an ethical environment, and feel valued and supported.
All things being equal, it is far better to build a team of Dreamers than a team of what I call “Soldiers of Fortune.”
The reason is simple. When adversity strikes, Soldiers of Fortune are often the first to leave because their connection to the organization is primarily transactional. Dreamers, on the other hand, are more likely to stay engaged because they believe in the mission, the people, and the culture.
There is, however, an important caveat.
Dreamers only stay when they feel deeply connected to the company. If you want people to fight for the organization in tough times, they have to believe it’s worth fighting for. This requires much more than a mission statement or list of values on a website.
This requires a real commitment to the employee experience. Leaders must not only express their values, but also consistently demonstrate them through their decisions, behaviors and policies.
In other words, your values can’t just be aspirational statements. They must be reflected in the functioning of the company.
Realizing values takes time, effort and discipline. But not achieving this comes at a cost. When adversity inevitably arrives, employees will take a hard look at whether the culture is living up to management’s promises.
If the answer is no, even your best people might decide it’s time to leave.
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