When Your Company’s Values Hurt More Than They Help

Most leaders rarely talk about values. They’re listed on a website, used as office decor, mentioned at orientation, and then quietly forgotten.

But here’s the truth: values only matter when they’re lived, and ignoring them can do more harm than good.

When Values Become Hollow

I’ve seen leaders pour energy and money into identifying a set of company values, often with good intentions, but then fail to connect those values to real behavior.

That gap is where culture starts to erode.

When leaders say one thing but do another, trust breaks down.
When decisions contradict stated beliefs, employees become cynical.
And when “integrity” or “respect” are just words on a wall, people stop believing in them.

Research from Dr. Brené Brown shows that only about 10% of companies actually operationalize their values.That means 90% have identified values that aren’t meaningfully reflected in how the business runs day to day.

A company that claims to value respect but tolerates toxic managers sends a clear message: our values don’t matter.

A company that claims to value innovation but punishes risk-taking teaches employees to stay quiet.

Misaligned values don’t build culture — they break it.

Why Living Your Values Matters

Values aren’t just about ethics or branding. They’re a decision-making framework.

They shape:

• How leaders handle pressure
• How teams treat each other
• How customers experience your brand

When values are alive in a company, they show up in hiring, feedback, marketing, decision making, and communications. They inform which projects get funded, which clients get chosen, and how leaders show up in moments of crisis.

In short: values are the operating system of your business.

Companies that live their values don’t just have happier teams. They perform better. Studies consistently show that values-driven organizations outperform their peers in profitability, retention, and innovation because people can trust the system they’re working in.

Why Some "Experts" Get It Wrong

Every so often, a new voice comes along declaring that values are meaningless — that they’re outdated or irrelevant to modern culture work.

That argument might sound edgy, but it misses the point entirely.

Values aren’t the problem. The absence of alignment and accountability is.

Throwing out values because some organizations misuse them is like saying, “maps are useless because some people get lost.” The problem isn’t the map. It’s how you use it.

So no, values aren’t meaningless. But the wrong values, or values that aren’t lived, can be harmful.

If you abandon values entirely, you abandon one of the few tools capable of grounding your culture in something lasting and real.

Living Your Values Starts at the Top

Living your values doesn’t mean perfection, but it does mean consistency and accountability.

Leaders must model the behaviors they want to see, especially when it’s inconvenient.

Ask yourself:

• Do our values influence all of our business decisions?
• Can employees describe how our values guide their day-to-day work?
• Do we reward behaviors that align with our stated beliefs?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, your values may not be serving your culture — or your business.

From Words to Action

At Culture Grove, I help leaders move from words to action, identifying, refining, and embedding the right values into daily operations so they become more than statements. They become part the operating system that allows you to achieve your goals.

Because when values are lived, they don’t just make your company a better place to work. They make it a better place to lead, grow, and succeed.

If you’re ready to bring your values to life, let’s talk.