Performance Problems? Start with Your Values
TL;DR If things feel off (misalignment, slow decisions, vague feedback) your values might not be doing their job. Here’s how to turn organizational values into practical tools that drive clarity, accountability, and performance.
You can feel it, even if you can’t quite name it.
Decisions take too long, or happen too fast without clarity. Feedback feels vague, if it’s even there at all. Each manager or leader is following their own playbook. Teams operate in silos, and it’s hard to tell whether someone is underperforming or just misaligned. People are busy, but the momentum feels scattered.
Maybe you’re numbers, but something in the culture feels… off.
These are symptoms of a deeper issue, one that many organizations face as they grow. More often than not, the root cause isn’t bad people or poor execution.
It’s unclear, unembedded values.
What Happens When Values Aren’t Fully Activated
Most companies have values. They’re on the website, in the onboarding deck, maybe even on a poster in the hallway. But if they’re not actively shaping how people behave, make decisions, and interact with one another, they’re not doing their job.
And when that happens, these symptoms tend to show up:
Inconsistent Decision-Making
Leaders and teams make calls based on personal preference or gut feel rather than shared principles. People escalate decisions unnecessarily or act unilaterally without alignment. There’s confusion around how to make trade-offs—especially when the stakes are high.
Siloed or Fragmented Culture
Different departments or offices operate by different norms. Collaboration feels clunky. There’s no unifying fabric to how people work together, and cross-functional projects suffer as a result.
Low Psychological Safety
People don’t feel safe to speak up, take risks, or challenge assumptions—especially if they’re not in positions of power. This leads to groupthink, missed innovation, and unresolved tensions.
Accountability Without Clarity
Feedback feels personal rather than principled. Expectations differ from team to team, and performance management becomes inconsistent or ineffective. Bad behavior sometimes gets a pass if someone is delivering results.
Disengagement and Turnover
Employees join because they’re inspired by the mission or stated values—then leave when the day-to-day experience doesn’t match. High performers grow frustrated. Others quietly disengage.
Trust Erodes
When leaders say one thing but do another—preaching transparency while avoiding tough conversations, or celebrating teamwork while rewarding individual heroics—people notice. Cynicism sets in.
If even a few of these symptoms sound familiar, it’s time to ask:
Are our values truly driving how we work, or are they just words on a wall?
Why Values Matter More Than You Think
Company values aren’t fluff. They’re infrastructure.
Think of values like the steel framework inside a building.
You don’t always see them, but they hold everything up. They determine how strong, stable, and scalable the structure is.
When your values are clear and reinforced:
Teams know how to move.
Decisions have a shared logic.
Pressure doesn’t cause cracks.
But when that internal structure is weak or misaligned, you feel it everywhere:
Execution wobbles.
Priorities shift without alignment.
People default to politics or personal preferences.
Just like a building can’t scale safely without strong infrastructure, your organization can’t grow effectively without operational values. They’re what hold up the way people lead, work, and execute—especially under pressure.
Values shape how people:
Make decisions under pressure
Collaborate across teams
Prioritize and problem-solve
Hire, promote, and give feedback
Navigate uncertainty or growth
In other words, values are the shared beliefs that operationalize your culture. They reduce ambiguity, guide behavior, and build alignment across the org.
But before values can be useful, they have to be clear.
Step 1: Clarify What Your Values Really Are
Many companies start with vague or feel-good words like “integrity” or “excellence.” But real values are more than language—they are specific, behavior-based, and differentiating.
First, make this critical distinction:
Organizational values describe the the core beliefs that guide a company's actions, decisions, and culture. They serve as a compass for behavior and decision-making across all levels of the organization.
Behaviors and competencies describe how you expect people to show up and work together.
You need both. Values provide meaning and direction. They’re the shared beliefs that define what matters most. Behaviors translate those beliefs into action, making your values real, visible, and measurable.
Ask yourself:
What do we actually reward and tolerate?
What behaviors help us succeed—and which ones hold us back?
What do we want to be true across every team, regardless of function?
From there, define each value with 2–3 specific, observable behaviors you expect to see. For example, if you value humility, you might include:
Seeks feedback and is open to changing their mind.
Shares credit generously.
Acknowledges what they don’t know.
When your values come with built-in behavioral guidance, you create a culture that’s not left open to interpretation.
Step 2: Activate Values in Everyday Systems
Clarifying values is only the beginning. Step two is embedding them into the actual systems and rhythms of how your company works.
Here are four high-impact places to start:
1. Design for Values in Hiring
Hiring is one of your most powerful levers for shaping culture. Every hire either reinforces or erodes it.
Ask:
Are our interview questions tied to values?
Are our evaluation criteria behavior-based and shared across interviewers?
Are we training hiring managers on what our values look like in action?
Example: If you value humility, try asking:
“Tell me about a time you changed your mind at work. What prompted it?”
Tip: Build a shared hiring rubric that maps each value to real, observable behaviors.
2. Anchor Feedback in Values
If your values aren’t showing up in feedback, they’re not shaping your culture.
Instead of:
“Great job on that project.”
Try:
“You showed real collaboration by keeping everyone aligned and informed through each phase of that launch.”
Tip: Equip managers with a simple reflection prompt: “What value did this behavior reflect?” Use it in 1:1s, performance reviews, even Slack shoutouts.
3. Train Managers and Leaders to Model the Values
Even the clearest values won’t stick unless leaders consistently model them. People watch what leaders do more than what they say. That’s why managers must be trained not just on what the values are, but how to apply them in daily decisions, conversations, and team dynamics.
Train your leaders to:
Recognize and reinforce values-based behaviors in their teams.
Use values to guide difficult conversations and trade-offs.
Give feedback and make decisions through the lens of values.
Model the values through the observable behaviors.
Call out misalignment in a way that builds trust and accountability.
Example: If Humility is one of your company values, train managers on what that looks like in action. You might encourage them to:
Share a mistake they made during a team meeting, and what they learned from it.
Invite feedback from their direct reports and act on it publicly.
Acknowledge when a direct report or peer had the better idea, and give them credit.
These kinds of behaviors send a powerful signal: Humility isn’t just a word—it’s a way we lead.
Tip: Incorporate values training into new leader onboarding, manager development programs, and executive offsites. Values don’t need to be another thing on their plate; they should become the lens through which they lead.
4. Infuse Values into Everyday Rituals
Culture is built over time, through every interaction and in daily habits.
Try:
Kicking off team meetings with a “values spotlight” story or shoutout.
Creating a shared Slack channel to recognize behaviors that reflect values.
Adding a values check to project retrospectives: “Where did we live our values—and where didn’t we?”
Tip: Rituals don’t have to be big. They just have to be consistent. That’s what builds habits.
You Don’t Need More Posters. You Need More Practice.
Culture doesn’t change all at once. It shifts through repeated behaviors and shared habits, one hiring decision, one manager conversation, one leadership moment at a time.
When your values are clear, visible, and embedded in the way work actually happens, they become more than aspirations. They become your company’s operating system, a foundation for trust, alignment, and momentum.
So if your company feels off right now, don’t just look at strategy or structure (of course these are critical factors too).
Look at your values. And ask: Are they doing their job?
One Small Step You Can Take This Month
Pick one value your company says it holds, but struggles to live. Then ask:
What specific behaviors would bring that value to life?
Where could we reinforce those behaviors…in hiring? …in a team meeting? …in how we recognize wins?
That’s how you begin building something real.
And if you need help clarifying or activating your values, we’d love to help. Let’s talk!
