The Last Article You'll Ever Need to Read About Corporate Values

Because I'm Tired of All the BS - And, Because Someone Needs to Say What Everyone's Thinking About Corporate Values.

My LinkedIn feed is getting ridiculous lately.

Every other post seems to be another corporate leader proudly waving their values around like some kind of merit badge...

"Look at us having values!"

They're all jumping over each other to showcase their carefully crafted statements and beautifully designed posters.

SIDEBAR NOTE: Perhaps they've started to realize that values are one of the three key ingredients to building an invincible culture to attract the best talent?

But here's what keeps nagging at me: When push comes to shove, when difficult decisions need to be made, when profits are threatened when real leadership is required...do these same leaders actually lead, live, and love these values they are so proud of?

Or do the values conveniently fade into the background until the next PR opportunity?

Let's cut through the corporate fog and get brutally honest about values.

Let me assure you that if you're here expecting another kumbaya piece about how your company's "INTEGRITY" poster will magically transform your culture, you're in the wrong place.

This is a serious rant.

We need to talk about why most corporate values are nothing more than expensive wall art and how to fix this mess.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Your Values

Your values probably suck. There, I said it.

And here's why...

They're weapons of mass manipulation, dusted off only when HR needs to performance manage someone out the door.

They're convenient masks your company wears when times are good, then tosses in the supply closet or storage room the moment profit margins get tight.

They're what I like to call outwardly facing "word salads" crafted by branding agencies who wouldn't know what the culture-brand relationship is if it hit them in the face.

You see, they make the fatal mistake of thinking you can brand your way into a culture. "It's what the customer wants to hear from us."

Newsflash: Brand is an inside-out proposition.

Your culture - how your people think and feel - and when they speak that love to the outside world, it is what creates your authentic brand, which is how the market and consumers think and feel.

Not the other way around.

But these agencies keep slapping pretty words on your corporate walls and crafting external messaging, then wondering why the culture doesn't magically transform to match their shiny brochures.

You can't fake culture from the outside in. Sorry eh.

Your brand needs to be built on the bedrock of how your organization actually thinks, feels and operates, not how you wish it would look on Instagram.

But here's the real kicker:

Your values aren't just bad - they're actively making your organization worse.

By default (or bad design), they're teaching your people to be cynical, disengaged, and frankly, a bit dim.

Why?

Because you're telling them WHAT to think instead of teaching them HOW to think.

The Money-Values Tango

Before we get too far into how to craft your values to be tools to use to lead, live and love in your organisation, let's talk about the elephant in the boardroom...money.

It's fascinating how values become incredibly flexible when they bump up against financial pressure.

Suddenly, that "People First" value looks more like "People First... Unless It Affects Our Quarterly Numbers."

Your "Environmental Stewardship" value quietly shuffles off stage when sustainability initiatives threaten the bottom line.

This isn't just hypocrisy, it's organizational gaslighting.

We're asking employees to emotionally invest in values that leadership treats like disposable coffee cups. Then we wonder why they're cynical?

Stop with the S.H.I.T Values

If your values include Service, Honesty, Integrity, or Trust, I have some bad news, you're basically bragging about having a pulse.

These aren't values, they are code of ethics stuff. They are(or should be) the price of entry into being a good human, a good business.

I mean seriously, if you are in a service-based business and you tell me you value SERVICE...I will be like...

"WOW! You are a service -based business that values service (insert sarcastic tone)? BOOM my mind is blown!"

No shit Sherlock...so you should as an entry point, not a unique way of thinking about your purpose.

What Values Actually Are (And Aren't)

Here's the thing: Your values aren't a behavioral checklist. They're not a marketing tool. They're not even primarily about behavior. They are your organization's unique way of thinking about solving problems.

Values should be:

• The guardians of your purpose

• Teaching tools for independent thinking

• Decision-making frameworks

• What makes you uniquely YOU in how you approach problems

"Simon Sinek popularised the concept of people buy why (your purpose) you do what you do. But, I assure you, your VALUES are why they buy it from YOU!" - Dave Clare

Values should NOT be:

• Weapons of performance management

• Fair-weather friends that disappear when times get tough

• Lists of prescribed behaviors

• Generic corporate platitudes that could apply to any business

   

How to Structure Values That Actually Work

Stop with the "We demonstrate this value by doing X, Y, and Z" nonsense. You're not writing a primary school textbook. Instead, give each value:

1. A clear, concise name

2. A definition in five words or less that explains HOW to think, not WHAT to do

For example, here are some of our values at Circle Leadership:

• SIMPLICITY - Freedom from complexity

• INSIGHT - Anticipate and act in advance

• WISDOM - Learn from experience

See the difference?

These aren't prescribing specific behaviors, they're teaching people how to think in alignment with your organization's unique approach. They also don't use the value in the definition of the value.

Imagine our value of INSIGHT being defined as "Having insight into everything". It's like trying to explain what water is by saying "It's when things are watery." It gives you absolutely zero understanding of what insight actually means or how to think about it.

The Leadership Challenge

Here's where it gets uncomfortable for leaders. If you want values that work, you need to:

1. Stop using them as convenient tools for enforcement

2. Start living them even when it costs you money

3. Trust your people to think independently within these frameworks

4. Accept that authentic values might occasionally lead to decisions that make you squirm

The Final Word

Your values aren't there to make you look good on your website.

They're not there to give HR a stick to beat people with.

They're there to teach your people how to think in alignment with your purpose.

If your values aren't doing that, they're not values, they are just expensive marketing placards and bumper stickers. And if that's all they are, you might as well save the money you spent on those fancy wall displays and invest in something more useful.

Like, I don't know, maybe try building a culture where people know how to think for themselves?

The choice is yours: Keep pretending those S.H.I.T. values mean something, or build something real that drives your organization forward.

Just don't expect me to be impressed by another "INTEGRITY" poster.

Your move.

It's time to lead different.

Together we can...

#EvolveTheWorldOfWork

Dave Clare, CEO & Founder of Circle Leadership

www.circleleadershipglobal.com