I was sitting in on a session with a team of senior leaders as they went through a pilot of one of our new business leadership simulations, "Leaders in Action." Despite being just a 4-hour workshop, it packs a lot of business acumen and leadership activities throughout the experience.
This team had a rich conversation about initiatives in the simulation to create and support a new culture of a growth mindset through core values. They were debating the best practices for implementing it.
One participant, with great seriousness, shared something that I have been thinking about for a couple of weeks, “I know this is a simulation, so I am just going to say this. Core values don’t really matter. We know that we are focused on our goals like increasing stock price and earnings per share and the everyday employee should be focused on those soft values like a safe work environment and all that stuff.”
I had to look at the calendar to make sure we were still in 2025 and didn’t go back in time to the 1970s!
After a couple of minutes of the team talking through the issues, I intervened for the sake of my own personal learning and perhaps to understand the culture of this client a little bit more. I asked them very bluntly if they recognized that what they were discussing were two separate types of core values; one set built around making money and the other about the soft stuff that “regular” employees worry about every day.
Values for Me, Values for Thee
The conversation reminded me of a quote I probably heard decades ago, that went, “Values for me, values for thee” meaning that a person believes in applying different sets of standards or morals depending on the situation, essentially acting one way when it benefits them personally and another way when dealing with others; it implies a lack of consistency and potential hypocrisy in their values.
I wanted to get a sense of the norms at their company and very quickly was able to determine that this approach was standard operating procedure and that there was a genuine misalignment in terms of one set of values that drive culture and outcomes.
Leading into Action: 3 Things to Do When Values Aren’t Aligned
When an organization has different sets of values for senior leaders and employees, it can create confusion and inconsistency in culture.
Here are three things to consider doing in such a situation:
Facilitate Open Dialogue and Transparency
Encourage transparent communication between seniors and employees about the different sets of values. This might involve leadership explaining the rationale behind the different values or making adjustments to bridge any gaps. Providing opportunities for feedback from employees on these values can also promote trust and collaboration.
Align Values Across All Levels
Review both sets of values and ensure they align with the organization’s overall mission, vision, and purpose. If the values of executives differ significantly from those of other employees, it can create a sense of disconnect or inequality. Aligning these values promotes consistency and fosters a cohesive culture.
Walk the Talk and Reinforce Consistency
Ensure that senior leaders actively model the values expected from all employees. Leadership behavior strongly influences organizational culture, so executives should demonstrate the same values that are emphasized at all levels. Reinforcing these values in leadership training, team meetings, and performance evaluations can help to embed them in everyday operations.
Summary
By aligning, communicating, and modeling consistent values, an organization can avoid the pitfalls of division and create a unified, strong culture that includes everyone, regardless of role.