How to Make Values Real Rather than Rhetoric

Many companies have a set of guiding principles or core values they claim to uphold. The language is often similar, with references to integrity, respect, innovation, excellence, accountability, transparency, and teamwork. The words are compelling. The challenge is that the reality often fails to match the rhetoric.

Creating a list of values is easy. With tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, it can be done in seconds. Talking about values is easy, too. The hard part is making those values meaningful in day-to-day operations.

There are two core challenges.

First, leaders must genuinely care about building a values-driven organization. Otherwise, it simply won’t happen. Over the years, I’ve worked with many CEOs, and the truth is that values are not top of mind for most of them. They may occasionally speak about the importance of culture and principles, but too often the conversation feels performative. Employees are usually quick to recognize the difference between authentic leadership and empty messaging.

Second, operationalizing values requires ongoing commitment and discipline. It’s not enough to reference them during onboarding or display them on a conference room wall. If values are going to matter, they must be embedded into how the business operates every day.

So what does that look like in practice?

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First, values should be discussed during the hiring process. Candidates whose personal values significantly conflict with the organization’s values should be disqualified, even if they appear highly qualified on paper.

Second, values should play a meaningful role in performance evaluations. A salesperson who consistently exceeds quota but is dishonest, difficult to work with, or undermines colleagues should not receive a strong review simply because of their numbers. Results matter, but how those results are achieved matters just as much.

Third, organizations should regularly and anonymously survey employees on how well the company lives up to its stated values. The results should be shared transparently across the organization, including areas where improvement is needed. While uncomfortable at times, transparency builds credibility. More importantly, leaders should develop and implement action plans that address the concerns employees raise.

This raises an important question: Why is operationalizing values worth the effort?

Beyond idealism, there is a practical business reason.

The best employees are rarely those who view work purely as a transaction. These individuals focus primarily on compensation, promotions, and resume building. While there is nothing inherently wrong with those motivations, they are often insufficient to sustain commitment when challenges arise.

The strongest employees are often what I call “Dreamers.” They care about compensation and career growth, but they are also motivated by purpose. They want to improve customers’ lives, do work they are 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 remain committed because they believe in the mission, the people, and the culture.

There is, however, an important caveat.

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countryCode: 'BE',
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Dreamers only stay when they feel deeply connected to the company. If you want people to fight for the organization during difficult times, they must believe it is worth fighting for. That requires far more than a mission statement or a list of values on a website.

It requires a genuine commitment to the employee experience. Leaders must not only articulate their values but consistently demonstrate them through their decisions, behaviors, and policies.

In other words, your values cannot simply be aspirational statements. They must be reflected in how the company operates.

Operationalizing values takes time, effort, and discipline. But failing to do so comes at a cost. When adversity inevitably arrives, employees will look closely at whether the culture lives up to what leadership promised.

If the answer is no, even your best people may decide it’s time to leave.

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The post How to Make Values Real Rather than Rhetoric appeared first on StartupNation.

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