What happens when the organizational values say, “We value work-life balance” but the leaders send emails well after hours (and expect immediate answers), walk around the office to see who’s in early and praise staff who work weekends?
It’s essential that leaders do more than talk about team values because declaring values is not the same as living them. Culture is the direct result of the values you exhibit. If the values you declare and the values you exhibit are different, it’s the latter that will rule the day and build your corporate culture.
Effective leaders will align their day-to-day actions with team values to build trust and create the culture to which the organization aspires. It’s critical that team members feel their work aligns with team values because misalignment results in employees feeling that disconnect as inauthentic and questioning the purpose of their work.
Why walking the talk matters
Aligning team values with day-to-day lived experience and action in an organization builds trust, engagement and cultural vitality. It also improves retention rates and strengthens performance.
Here’s why:
- Credibility and trust flourish. When leaders model the organizational values they say they support, psychological safety grows. Research shows that organizations with high psychological safety have team members who innovate more quickly, collaborate well and deliver better results. They also retain top performers.
- Cultural cohesion builds. When team members are united through shared actions, abstract values become everyday habits. Folks understand how their role fits into the organizational goals, and they feel part of something that matters. Pro tip: Organizations with a coaching culture win big.
- Performance strengthens. Aligned teams deliver consistent results. Is there conflict when team values are aligned? Yes, but it’s healthy conflict around ideas (which drives success) rather than unhealthy conflict between personalities.
Be wary of common gaps between values and actions
The most effective values are well defined, purpose-driven and reflect the organization’s identity authentically (not the latest trends).
Folks will feel there’s a gap when they observe:
Vague or superficial values
Without actions to support the organization’s values, your team members will feel they’re just empty words. Consider how hollow, “We value innovation” sounds when there are rarely (or never) opportunities for employees to access learning resource materials or training — and sharing new ideas is not encouraged. Values that match what team members experience are meaningful. For example, “We value safety” is authentic when staff members are involved in ongoing safety training and audits, first aid training is offered and accidents are used as learning opportunities (not covered up or penalized).
Inconsistent leadership behaviours
How leaders act is how values are embedded in the culture. Leaders and managers must model the behaviours that align with the values. So, for example, if collaboration is a core value, then seeking cross-functional input is an action that would demonstrate it. If we treat our staff like family is a core value, then leaders could use one-to-one meetings to build a solid culture of engaged employees.
A lack of accountability and reinforcement
Leaders must address any misalignment with values so that it’s clear what is expected and what is not tolerated. It’s important for folks to see how their work connects to the values. For example, if valuing teamwork is one of the team values, letting high performers get away with poor behaviour just because they deliver results wouldn’t align with an importance placed on teamwork. Instead, a leader should talk with someone who grandstands and treats admin staff poorly, requiring that person apologize and improve communication. This would reinforce that teamwork is valued.
Turn values into actions with the Padraig Coaching framework
We have a four-step process that helps leaders turn values into actions with intention.
- Clarify and co-create team values. Start the discussion with your team to get everyone to identify, define and then refine the team values that align with their goals and the organization’s mission. Engage your team in defining what these team values look like in action.
- Model with intention. Leaders should intentionally choose behaviours that reflect the team values in action. This reinforces the expectation for others to put the team values into action in their day-to-day work.
- Embed team value check-ins into routines. Take a moment in meetings or performance reviews to do some quick reflection. It can be helpful to ask team members to reflect, “Which values have been demonstrated in the workplace today/this week/lately?” Or perhaps, “How could we better demonstrate one of our values, rather than what we have been doing?” Integrate team values into processes (for example, onboarding or performance reviews) and communication (such as internal announcements or marketing materials) to encourage everyone to embody the core values.
- Reinforce with accountability and recognition. Some organizations assign each executive a value to champion, using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) so that metrics are tied to team values (for example, customer satisfaction is tied to customer-focused or innovation to curiosity). Peer feedback can also be helpful to gauge success and keep the momentum going, particularly sharing successes as well as times you fall short. Acknowledging when it is time to course correct and live the team values builds credibility. Make an effort to celebrate catching team members who “walk the talk” — remembering that some folks like being celebrated in public and others prefer a quiet, private acknowledgement. Celebration helps to create a company culture that thrives.
Use a coach approach to help others walk the talk
It can be beneficial for leaders to add using a coach approach to their toolkits, particularly when encouraging team members to embody team values and put them into action.
Instead of just directing certain behaviours or giving advice, leaders with a coach approach use thoughtful questions to encourage other folks to reflect and find their own insights and solutions.
Use open-ended questions such as:
What behaviours do you value most in your fellow team members?
(uncover team values in action)
What was frustrating or demotivating?
(uncover misalignment)
How can we better demonstrate team values?
(identify actionable ways to improve)
How do you uphold the values for the team?
(identify their own role/actions)
What can we do to hold each other accountable to the team values?
(encourage mutual responsibility)
Reflective journaling can be powerful when you’re trying to encourage change. By keeping a journal, leaders can process events, clarify their thoughts, consider context and record progress.
Anticipate Challenges
It takes work and intention to keep the momentum going. There are a few challenges that leaders typically encounter.
Resistance. Some folks will resist efforts to reflect on values and strategically integrate them into everything from operations and talent development to corporate culture. They might object that these attempts feel forced or inauthentic. Lean into the dialogue and re-explore the meaning.
Leadership inconsistency. Use peer feedback and upward coaching (team members offer feedback, guidance or support to their managers) to minimize the gaps. Good leaders accept criticism and feedback from their teams.
Value drift. It’s normal for enthusiasm and focus to wane over time. Schedule a quarterly check-in and review to recalibrate and keep everyone on track.
Consistent action is the key to truly embodying core team values in authentic ways.
Coach’s Questions
Where are the gaps between your organization’s values and what your team consistently does? What is one value and corresponding daily behaviour you can model this week? How can you encourage your team members to put team values into action?
