Evaluating How Values Shape Team Dynamics

I walked into a leadership meeting last week and spotted their Core Values beautifully framed on the wall. "How do these values influence your hiring decisions?" I asked. The room went silent. Then the CEO admitted, "They don't." This company was bleeding talent (42% turnover) while watching their market share shrink. Here's the brutal truth: Core Values aren't decoration. They're your organization's operating system. According to Gallup, companies with strong, lived values have 65% lower turnover rates. Harvard University research shows teams aligned on values deliver 17% higher performance. Organizations with successful cultures see 47% more revenue growth. But most companies make a fatal mistake: confusing having values with living values. Here are 4 ways to transform your Core Values from wall art to competitive advantage: 1. Discover, don't invent Your true Core Values already exist in your organization. They're demonstrated by your best people. In EOS, we uncover them by examining who succeeds, not by crafting aspirational statements. 2. Make them memorable If your team can't recite your values without looking, they aren't guiding decisions. One client replaced "Demonstrate Integrity" with "Do What You Say." Which will people remember and apply? 3. Hire, fire, review, reward Every people decision must filter through your Core Values. Using the EOS People Analyzer, rate each person against each value. Below the bar? Coach up or out. This isn't optional. It's survival. 4. Decide by values When facing tough choices, ask: "Which option best reflects our Core Values?" Make this question standard in every meeting. The companies that outperform their competition don't just have better strategies. They have better alignment. ♻️ Reshare to help another entrepreneur see the power in mastering your Core Values

Day #22 — “What’s the best way you’ve found to build a team atmosphere/culture in the office?” We’ve lived through a horrible company culture and a thriving company culture and there is one key differentiator… LIVING THE COMPANY VALUES. I know it sounds cliche.. What do “company values” actually mean to everyday employees? But I’m telling you, after living through radical cultural change, it all comes down to who is willing to LIVE and LEAD with the company values at the center of their decisions and behaviors. I have been guilty of allowing team members who produce great financial results get away with behaviors that don’t align with our values. And by doing that, I’ve sent a message to our entire organization that our values really don’t matter. Think about it.. what kind of leader says something is important to the organization but then looks the other way when it’s easy or convenient? Our values our: A Heart for People, A Mind for Innovation, An Eye for Safety. The kicker is, you cannot just live two of them and be a successful member of our team. Success on our team means living all three values even when it isn’t easy or fun. I’ve noticed when we have a person (or an entire team) in our business that is struggling with embodying the culture we are trying to create as an organization, it almost always comes down to those people not living out our core values. And the opposite is true; our top performers think about, talk about, and LIVE OUT our core values daily. When there is a hard conversation to have with an underperforming employee, speak with a Heart for People. When a challenging project frustrates the team, step up and lead with a Mind for Innovation. When a coworker cuts a corner to get the job done quickly on a Friday afternoon, step in with an Eye for Safety. Core values are easy to live out when everything is going right and sailing is smooth. But core values were built for the hard days - the days you feel like quitting or firing everyone, the days when nothing goes to plan, and the days you don’t feel like showing up. I’m convinced if we can get a group of people living all of our core values daily… culture takes care of itself. Turner Mining Group Turner Staffing Group

You can talk about collaboration. But if your performance reviews only measure individual targets, don’t expect people to work as a team. You can promote “wellbeing.” But if your systems reward burnout with praise and promotions, the message is clear. Embedding culture means building it into how the organization runs, not just how it speaks. Here’s what that looks like in practice: Hiring: Do your interview questions test for alignment with values or just technical skill? Decision-making: Are decisions made with transparency and input or behind closed doors? Recognition: Are people rewarded for how they work, or just what they deliver? Performance: Do your metrics reflect the culture you want or just the outcomes you need? When culture only lives in language, it fades. When it lives in systems, it sticks. The real work isn’t writing better statements. It’s building better structures.

Only 23% of U.S. employees believe they can apply their organization's values to their work. Even worse? Only 15% believe their leaders uphold company values. Here's what their leaders are missing (and how to fix it): The problem isn't the values themselves. It's the dangerous misalignment between: • What leaders say • What leaders do • What gets rewarded • What happens day-to-day This creates what I call a "culture crisis" - where your words and actions tell two different stories. Trust goes out the window. Engagement plummets. Innovation dies. Results suffer. And the data proves it: • Companies with strong cultures see 4x higher revenue growth over 10 years • They achieve 3.8x higher employee engagement • They're 1.5x more likely to retain top talent But here's what most leaders miss: You can't just send a mass email or put posters up announcing your company values... You must shape it with thousands of tiny decisions made every single day. I see it all too often: • You tell your team that "innovation" is a value - but punish failure • You preach "collaboration" but your processes force competition Your employees WILL pick up on these inconsistencies and it will push them towards greener pastures. Here's what actually works: 1. Systems Alignment (Create Clarity) Your processes must reflect your values. Create clear decision-making frameworks that empower teams to act on values daily. 2. Walk the Talk (Build Alignment) When faced with tough decisions, openly explain how your values guided your choice. 3. Psychological Safety (Generate Movement) Build trust by celebrating when people speak up, admitting your own mistakes, and showing vulnerability first. 4. Consistent Action (Sustain Results) Make values part of your daily conversations. Recognize and reward behaviors that exemplify your values - not just results. The leaders who keep their values alive and well all share one thing: They understand that culture isn't what you say - it's what you consistently DO when no one's watching. And this isn't just theory... These are the exact principles I've used to help transform cultures at some of the world's largest companies. Not sure where to start? Save the infographic below to identify the top 5 culture killers and how to fix them. Want more on becoming the leader everyone wants to work for? Join the 12,500+ leaders who get our weekly email newsletter: https://lnkd.in/en9vxeNk