How to Implement Core Values in the Workplace

A great culture doesn’t happen by accident, it’s built through intentional, repeatable systems. Here’s how to create a workplace where people feel motivated, connected, and proud to show up: 1️⃣ Define Core Values and Actually Live Them Don’t just post them on the wall. Embed your values into decisions, recognition, and performance expectations. 2️⃣ Run Regular Culture Surveys Quarterly or biannual surveys help track how employees really feel about work. Use the feedback to guide action not just gather data. 3️⃣ Use Monthly Pulse Checks for Real-Time Insight Short surveys (2–5 questions) can catch problems early and help you respond before they grow. 4️⃣ Build an Everyday Recognition Program Celebrate wins, values-based behavior, and milestones. Recognition doesn’t need to be big, just consistent and sincere. 5️⃣ Provide Anonymous Feedback Channels Create safe spaces for honesty. Whether digital tools or suggestion boxes, people need a place to speak up without fear. 6️⃣ Track Engagement KPIs Watch metrics like turnover, retention, promotions, and internal transfers. These numbers tell the story behind engagement trends. 7️⃣ Hold Focus Groups and Listening Sessions Go deeper than surveys. Talk to cross-functional groups to uncover context, emotion, and actionable ideas. 8️⃣ Promote Transparent Leadership Communication Leaders should regularly share updates, goals, and even challenges. Town halls, AMAs, and newsletters make people feel included. 9️⃣ Offer Growth and Development Paths Give employees something to look forward to whether it’s a stretch project, a mentor, or a learning stipend. 🔟 Use Exit Interviews Strategically Don’t waste the goodbye. Track themes in exit feedback to proactively improve retention. 1️⃣1️⃣ Form a Culture Committee Include employees from all levels and departments. They’ll generate new ideas and help spread cultural ownership across the org. 1️⃣2️⃣ Conduct a Culture Audit Every Year Step back and evaluate: What’s working? What’s fading? Combine metrics + feedback + observations to realign and refresh your strategy. The Bottom Line: Culture isn’t a vibe, it’s a system. One that evolves, listens, and reflects the people who power your business. Want a thriving culture? Don’t wait for it. Build it. 💬 ♻️ Repost to help others. ➕ Follow Ricardo Cuellar for more workplace tips.

CULTURE: enough with the FLUFF "Our values are integrity, excellence, and teamwork." Congratulations. You've just described every company and none of them at the same time. Your culture is not "core values" on a poster. It’s actions, not words. Culture is what your people do when nobody's watching. Culture is the worst behavior your managers are willing to tolerate. After operating thousands of stores and advising countless franchisees, here’s my observation: 90% of teams have a “default” culture despite all their talk about it. They have wishful thinking disguised as values. Culture isn't some fluffy concept. It's real behavior patterns with hard financial impact: 👎 A manager who leaves at 4:00 when they could lead the evening rush 👎 An employee who chooses not to follow the sales process because nobody else does 👎 A team that misses goals when the owner is out of town Want a culture that actually attracts and retains A-player talent? Here's what to do: Burn those generic buzzwords. Replace them with specific behaviors: - Not "customer focus" but "We never let a customer wait more than 10 seconds to be greeted" - Not "teamwork" but "We jump in and help without being asked when a coworker needs it" - Not "excellence" but "We hold each other accountable to achieving goals" Next, clarify your non-negotiables on ONE PAGE: What behaviors define "how we do things here"? What behavior will get someone fired? Write it down. Share it. Enforce it. The moment you let someone violate a "non-negotiable" is the exact moment your culture becomes a fantasy. If drama isn't tolerated, then the drama-creating top performer needs to go. Today. No exceptions. Then, create your standards scorecard: Create a weekly scorecard that tracks cultural standards with the same importance as sales: - How many employees were recognized this week for demonstrating the right behaviors? - How many coaching conversations happened? - How quickly were cultural violations addressed? Finally, model it. You and your managers are either culture-in-action or the primary culture killer. Period. What starts to happen within 30 days? - B-player managers become A-players, C-player managers leave (finally) - Employees start to care about outcomes, not just paychecks - Customers notice a difference (and buy more) - Less drama that drains productivity and kills morale Your culture determines your profit, so hire and retain managers who drive the RIGHT culture. Good news - they DO exist, and you CAN afford them. What's happening in your stores right now, when nobody's looking? That's your real culture. Want to change it? Use what we built as a reference/template. You get: - The one-page non-negotiable standards we used to drive performance in our stores - The team meeting guide to gain commitment Want it? 1. Connect with me 2. Comment CULTURE below 3. I'll send it straight to your DMs. No hard pitch - I don’t like those either.

Core values that are only ideals will fail. Lofty goals aren't sustainable. Without systems to support them. And core values usually lack those systems. "You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” — James Clear Core values get created in a boardroom exercise. They get distributed to employees. At best, in a workshop. At worst, in a memo. And then employees are supposed to live up to them. To keep them in mind. While they deal with the havoc of day-to-day work. Without systems to reinforce the valued behaviors. It's a recipe for failure. "Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome.” —Charlie Munger Core values have to lead to clear behaviors. And behaviors that aren't operationalized don't work. An organization must continually reinforce behaviors. They must have systems to reward behaviors. And systems to discourage behaviors. Otherwise, core values are just words on paper. That sometimes gets adhered to. But more often, they don't. "Reward the behaviors you seek." —TESCO So: - List the behaviors associated with each value. - Find ways to systematize the behaviors. - Set up reward systems for those behaviors. Without systems to support values, you only have ideas. Not actions.

Many companies have wonderful Core Values on the wall: - “Be Nice” - “Be Bold” - “Own It” But are packed with bad bosses and toxic culture. Why? The answer is Core Values suck. There’s a better way… 🧵 Here’s the problem with core values. • Not actionable (of course “honesty” is important) • Not specific (if I’m honest, how transparent do I be?) • Not complete (only 3-5 values describe our whole culture?!) They say nothing about your actual culture. My buddy Andrew Himoff runs @StaffingVip. Two years ago... Andrew was frustrated by the usual way of doing Core Values. So, he introduced something called "Core Behaviors": Core Behaviors fix the 3 big problems with the classic Core Value approach: • Actionable • Specific • Complete Core Behaviors aren't vague concepts. They define the specific actions special to a culture -- And, as such, define who we are as an organization. So, how do you put them into practice? Andrew followed a 4-step process: 1. Define the Behaviors 2. Introduce the Behaviors 3. Reinforce the Behaviors 4. Revise the Behaviors Let’s dig into each step… 1. Define the Behaviors Most Core Values creation has everyone come to a consensus. Which explains why they’re often worthless! In Core Behaviors, the CEO writes the first version of them. 2. Introduce the Behaviors For 18 weeks, Andrew emailed the entire company every Monday. He’d talk about what one of those Behaviors meant to him. And how he was trying to live it personally. 3. Reinforce the Behaviors Then, members of the team took turns doing the same thing. One would write that week’s email to the whole company. Saying what that week's Core Behavior means to them. On the 18th week, they repeat the cycle. 4. Revising the Core Behaviors Andrew maintains that list of Core Behaviors as CEO. He revises the Behaviors based on input from everyone. Sometimes adding, subtracting, and changing. The Behaviors continue to evolve with the company, people, and times. Andrew has seen great success after two years: The culture is now being driven bottom-up. It has defined a common identity. Teammates don’t tolerate when they see people not living the behaviors. Pretty great as an actionable way to define and reinforce company culture. tl;dr: Stop doing Core Values like we always have. They’re stupid! Instead, define 15-20 Core Behaviors of your company. Then, build your culture using a 4-step process: 1. Define the Behaviors 2. Introduce the Behaviors 3. Reinforce the Behaviors 4. Revise the Behaviors

The word CULTURE should mean something. Could one of these 3 offensive and 3 defensive moves make a big difference at your workplace? Offense: 1. Hire and promote people whose personal values align with group values. You send a message when you reward value alignment! 2. Establish consistent practices that express value. For example, if customer service is a value, leaders should demonstrate that same presence when they interact with employees. 3. Think value alignment during celebration, feedback, and ideation. Reward and honor work that expresses a value. Compare execution to values during feedback. Choose ideas that match values when brainstorming. Defense: 1. Remove narcissistic leaders and prevent toxic behavior with high accountability. Don’t drag your feet on this one. It will ruin all the work you put in to create culture very quickly! 2. Avoid toxic positivity by welcoming healthy conflict, making it safe to disagree, and ok to have a bad day. Don’t be afraid to admit failure, challenge with kindness, and ask how something could be better. 3. Protect work-life boundaries and keep workloads fair. Discuss work hours and off hours. Stick to what you agree on. Check in on people to see if their workload is too much…or if they are ready for more. Have you seen a failure to run one of these ‘plays’ ruin a working environment?

Make your EOS V/TO visible. Yes, it lives in your meeting software, but that’s not enough. The tool is an incredible way to gain alignment, but only if you reference it (what will feel like constantly). Print it. Point to it. Bleed it into every meeting, every conversation, every decision. The elements of the V/TO should be so second-nature your team quotes them without thinking. A few easy ways to keep this EOS tool top of mind and reinforce the steady drumbeat after your Quarterly Planning Session: → Core Values: Use them by name in a dedicated recognition channel (Slack, Teams, etc.) - bonus, this will make it easy to do Core Values shout outs at your next State of the Company. → Core Purpose & Niche: Display them where the team makes decisions: in conference rooms, huddle spaces, or embedded at the top of internal docs and proposals. Your people should never have to guess why you exist or who you serve best. → Proven Process: Put it on the wall, on your website, in your sales deck. If your team can’t name your process, they won’t follow it. If your clients can’t see it, they won’t trust it. You can’t be what you don’t see. Visibility drives consistency. And consistency builds culture.