October 27, 2025 • 36 mins
We continue our seven-part mini-series on Creating Alignment with Your People by starting with the foundation of culture — Values Alignment.
Before you can align your team around how you work or who thrives in your environment, you have to get clear on what you believe.
In this episode, I talk about why most businesses misunderstand values, how to define them as beliefs that actually drive decisions and behavior, and how shared values create clarity, consistency, and trust across your organization.
Episode Highlights
- What real values are — and why most businesses get them wrong
- How to define values as beliefs that drive behavior
- Why clarity around values simplifies decision-making and accountability
- The process for defining what your business truly believes
- Why authenticity matters more than sounding impressive
- How to write actionable values that guide behavior and decision-making
- The difference between stated values and lived values
- How values alignment filters who fits—and who doesn’t
- The story of Precision Builders and Vision Builders and how values shape culture
Resources & Links
- Learn more at ClearAuthenticBrands.com
Related Episodes
- Episode 12: Creating Alignment With Your People
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amy Dardis (00:10):
Welcome back to the Building A Clear Authentic Brand
podcast.
I'm your host, Amy Dardis.
We're in part two of ourseven-part mini-series on
creating alignment with yourpeople.
And today we're talking aboutaligning values.
So last episode, we introducedthe series and the big picture
of creating alignment with yourpeople.
(00:32):
And there are three dimensionsto alignment that we're
exploring, calling on the threeC's just to keep it nice and
catchy.
So number one is culture,number two is capacity, and
number three is contribution.
Those make up our threedimensions, our three Cs.
And we are starting with thefirst C, which is culture.
(00:56):
And within culture, there arefour subcategories or four
elements that make up whatculture is and whether or not we
have alignment in it.
So the first is values, thesecond is work style, the third
is traits, and the fourth isnon-negotiables.
(01:19):
And today we are focusing onthe first element of culture,
which are values.
Now, when I start first startedworking with businesses, I
thought values were just wordson a wall.
When I thought about values,when I heard about values, they
(01:40):
didn't mean much.
And I was pretty judgmentalabout companies that had them or
said that they had them.
And honestly, most businessesdidn't have them.
Most businesses don't havethem.
And if they do, they're oftencliche or generic, empty.
(02:03):
Because, you know,unfortunately, in most cases,
they are like they they are justwords on a wall.
They are just things that soundgood, but don't really reflect
how the business reallyoperates, or it doesn't really
(02:23):
guide how they make decisions orthe people that they hire.
So the words that are used areoften generic, they're overused.
It seems like everybody has thesame values, you know, things
like integrity or teamwork oraccountability, just like one
word that just like it, it it'sa good word, and I think it
(02:46):
holds good meaning and goodintent.
But it's hard to bring one wordto life within a business.
And so they sound, you know,good.
They're they're good words, butthey're not being lived out.
And what I learned along theway was that real values,
(03:12):
they're they're not words,they're beliefs.
Like values are convictions,values are principles that
determine how you makedecisions.
And when your values are clear,decisions actually get simpler.
And when they're not clear orwhen they're non-existent, then
(03:36):
you have the side effects ofthat, and it shows up everywhere
in your business.
You have confusion, you havefrustration, you have
inconsistency, you have drift,you have a business that doesn't
know what it believes in.
You have people who don't knowwhat they believe in because
there are no beliefs that aredefined.
(03:57):
There are no guiding principlesto say, this is how we act,
this is how we make decisions,this is our filter for how we
will operate, how we will moveforward.
And so values really arebeliefs that drive behavior.
And they answer the question: what do we believe is right, (04:16):
undefined
good, and important?
And how should that belief showup in action?
And that is the key here iswhat does that look like lived
out?
So values are not marketinglanguage or ideals, they're the
(04:40):
convictions that shape how yourorganization thinks, decides,
and acts.
And values alignment means thata person's beliefs and
principles are consistent withthe organization's values.
(05:00):
So what the organizationbelieves, what the principles
that guide them, the people whowork for them value those things
too.
We have shared values because,like we talked about in the last
episode, we are first definingour core, our shared common
(05:22):
ground.
And one of the things we haveto define is our values.
What do we believe?
And then we attract people whohave this shared ground, these
shared beliefs, these sharedattributes while still ref
respecting individualities,while still honoring it, while
(05:43):
still embracing it.
But we have to have some kindof common ground and values,
like what we believe and what'sgoing to guide us, needs to be
one of those things that weshare.
So when we're looking at aperson who's going to join our
organization, or we're lookingat an existing team member, we
(06:05):
have to be able to answer thequestion: does this person
believe what we believe abouthow we do business, about how we
treat people, about how we makedecisions?
And the unfortunate realreality is that there are so
many businesses out there thatdon't take the time to actually
(06:29):
define what they believe.
They don't define their valuesin this way, in the way I'm
going to present to you today.
And so there is no way toanswer that question.
And so that's where we getfrustration, that's where we get
misalignment, that's where weget a chaos and people going
their different directions.
(06:49):
Because if we didn't definewhat we believe first, you
can't, you can't even answer ifsomeone shares those beliefs or
not.
You end up with a bunch ofpeople who believe a bunch of
different things.
And because you, as the leaderand as the organization or as
the leadership team, don't knowwhat you believe, it's like,
well, this sounds good, but thenthis person has a point.
(07:12):
And how do we make thisdecision?
Well, what's the mostopportunistic thing to do here?
And that's kind of how we endup going through business and
running through these differentsituations.
But values guide how we behave,they guide how we make
decisions and they guide how wetreat people.
(07:35):
So how we treat each other, howwe treat our coworkers, how we
treat our customers.
It gives you clarity on how toact within a certain situation.
It gives you clarity on how tomake a decision that's going to
align with your brand, withgoing to align with your purpose
(07:57):
and your mission and yourcalling and what makes you
unique and what makes youdifferent so that you stay
authentic to who you are.
You protect your brand and youcontinue to move forward with
clarity and direction andmomentum.
So these shared values end updoing these three things.
(08:20):
They're going to drivebehavior, they're going to help
us filter decisions that we'remaking on who do we hire, what
processes do we implement, whatopportunities do we say yes to,
which direction do we move into?
What messages do we put outthere?
They really become our filter.
(08:40):
But values also create astandard.
They're something that we cantangibly hold on to.
We can define and say, this ishow we act.
These are the behaviors that weexpect of our of our brand, of
our business, of our people.
And here is how we actually canhold ourselves accountable to
(09:05):
them.
So it's not just like, oh, thisperson is good or this person
is bad.
It's no, we use this specificvalue to guide how we want our
team to act in a specificsituation, and we can clearly
identify when a person acted inthat situation correctly, or
(09:32):
when a person went against thatand acted differently.
And then there's someaccountability there.
We can call it out, we can talkabout it, we can coach on it,
we can correct it, or we canunderstand that this there is
misalignment here, and we have aproblem that we have to
address.
(09:53):
So it creates all kinds ofopportunities to take
subjectiveness out of it, andbehavior and culture then
becomes objective because we aredefining the standard.
We're defining what it is thatwe believe is the right thing to
(10:15):
do, what we believe isimportant, what we believe how
we should operate.
So, where do we start?
We have to first start withdefining our values.
Well, how do we do that?
Well, we ask this question whatdo we believe about work and
people and success?
(10:36):
Like, what do we believematters in the long run?
What do we believe is the rightthing to do?
What is our own moral compassthat we want to live by and be
guided by?
And then we want to look atbehavior.
So, what actions on your teamor in yourself like are you
(10:59):
proud of?
Like, what are the actions youwant?
Like, I want more of that.
We need to duplicate more ofthat.
And then what actions existthat that frustrate you or that
you're frustrated with or createfrustration within your team?
That's where you're gonna seelike this this differentiator
between what matters to you andwhat you're like, oh no, I want
(11:24):
to stay away from that.
And then we have to take thesebeliefs and these actions and
these behaviors, and we have tomake them actionable.
And so we have to write themand position them in a way where
you would be able to use it toguide behavior and guide thought
(11:47):
process within a specificsituation or circumstance.
So instead of using somethingthat's like a word, like
integrity or honesty, we wouldsay a phrase that guides a
decision or a behavior to say,do what's right.
And then next to that, it sayswe we tell the truth, even when
(12:11):
it costs us something.
So that gives me direction.
So when I'm in a situation andI let's say see an employee
doing something that theyshouldn't be, maybe they're
clocking out early and they'relying on their time card, you
know, and I'm seeing thisbehavior.
I'm like, okay, well, how howwould the company, how would the
(12:31):
leadership team, how would myboss want me to act in this
situation?
Well, it's pretty obvious.
Like the our our values say wetell the truth even when it
costs us something.
Or another value that we wouldsay, do what it takes, which
(12:52):
means that we take ownership andwe find solutions, not excuses.
Okay, so now we have a team, ateam meeting, and we have a
problem that we're trying tosolve for a customer.
You might have an employee whois like, I don't know what to
do.
I just they they just want todo it their own way, and there's
(13:12):
really nothing that can be donehere.
And and they're just kind oflike brushing it off, and you're
finding through furtherconversation that they had
failed to follow up or they hadfailed to follow through on a
commitment with a customer.
Now that customer is upset andis threatening to remove their
(13:35):
business from from from yourbusiness, don't want to support
you anymore.
And here is this employee whois not taking ownership, they're
not finding solutions, they'rethey're making excuses.
And so you can look at thisperson and you can say with
(13:56):
objectivity, with clarity andwith a standard, you're gonna be
like, hey, look, in thiscompany, in this business, we do
with that, what it takes.
And for us, it means we takeownership and we find solutions
and not excuses.
Here's the issue (14:13):
the issue is you failed to do something, you
failed to follow up, you failedto follow through with this
customer.
You are not taking ownershipfor it.
And instead of findingsolutions or telling the truth,
even when it costs yousomething, even though it costs
(14:34):
you your pride, or you riskletting the team down, you are
making an excuse.
And that is not how we behaveas a company.
That is not how we handlesituations.
So they then know without adoubt, wow, you're right,
because this isn't the firsttime that they've heard about
(14:54):
this value.
They know that this meanssomething.
They were hired through it,they were trained on it.
You guys talk about it all thetime.
And now you can call them outand coach them in a situation,
and they should be able torecognize that I am not living
by this value.
(15:15):
And this can either be aone-time situation or it can be
something that maybe repeatsitself over and over again, and
then you realize wow, I have anissue of misalignment.
This individual does not behaveby these values on a regular
basis.
So that's the beauty of beingable to define it and bring it
(15:40):
to life and help people knowwhat's expected, but also know
how to have this independentthinking and autonomy within a
situation where you're notthere.
So they're with a customer,they can't get a hold of you to
ask direction on what theyshould do.
(16:02):
And in their head, they can belike, okay, well, what is what
do we believe as a company?
Well, we believe in doingwhat's right, we believe in
doing what it takes.
I'm going to make thisdecision.
I'm going to do these thingsbased on these values.
And when my boss asks me later,why did you make this decision?
I'm going to point it back tothese values.
(16:24):
And they have peace with that.
They have conviction with that,they have direction with that,
without you telling themspecifically what it is that
they need to do.
So, based on that, your valuesshould also be authentic, not
aspirational.
So, values need to actuallyreflect who you really are.
(16:47):
So, if you are a business thatreally does value learning and
growing and curiosity, that thatlooks like certain things.
So it looks like a businessthat invests in training.
It looks like people who arehungry to learn and read books
(17:12):
and listen to podcasts and watchYouTube videos and they're
excited to attend training.
It looks like a business thathas a lot of certifications, a
lot of discussions around, well,what do we learn in this
situation?
Like it, it's real.
Like you see this in certainareas.
It doesn't look like a businessthat thinks that training is a
(17:35):
waste of time or that does notvalue books and podcasts and
being challenged by differentperspectives.
Like there, that is thedifference between are we a
business that values learning,that values what do we not know
that we need to know and we wantto pursue that journey versus
(17:58):
we think we know what we knowand we value other things,
right?
So it's like we don't all valuethe same things.
We need to know what do wereally value?
What do you, as the leader,really value in a business?
Because a lot of the times it'sit's going to start with you,
but we are looking at the peoplewho are in our business because
(18:19):
we've talked about this before.
Our people really determine thesuccess of our business and how
our brand is actually livedout.
So your values are going to bewhat you celebrate, what you
tolerate, what you are going tocorrect on because it matters so
(18:41):
much to you, because it's abelief, it's a conviction, it's
something that you're not goingto just let slide.
So I want to just share withyou just some examples of core
values and how they can be sodrastically different.
And it's impossible to be abusiness that values everything.
(19:01):
We prioritize what it is thatwe value.
So we talked about this valueof staying curious, of asking,
exploring, and never stoplearning.
We're seeking people to bringon to our team who genuinely
love to learn where that'sexciting to them.
You could have a value that isextreme ownership.
(19:23):
So people who own their work,they own their results, their
impact.
There is no excuse making inyour company.
You guys are extreme about it,you are fanatic about it.
I mean, this is all about whenwe win, when we lose, like we
are, we're in it together.
And it's like, what could Ihave done differently?
(19:45):
What could I have, you know,how could I improve next time?
Like, where have I maybecontributed to this negative
result?
How can I get better?
We could you have somethinglike challenge the ordinary.
So this is a company thatvalues and believes in pushing
boundaries and rethinkingpossibilities and creating what
(20:07):
others won't.
This is something Apple isknown for being a business that
believes in challenging theordinary and creating what
others won't.
This is a business that valuesinnovation and thinking outside
the box and not just stayingwith what they know.
But then you could be somethingdifferent than that.
(20:33):
Maybe you're not someone whochallenges the ordinary, but you
you believe in refusingmediocrity.
You don't settle for average,you strive for impact.
Maybe you're a business thatbuilds belonging, like you
create spaces where people feelseen and heard and value.
(20:54):
Maybe you're a business that isthe master of the details and
you believe in excellence in thesmall things, like those little
tiny things that we do day inand day out with discipline and
consistency and you know,discipline over motivation.
So there's a wide gambit ofthings that you could value, and
(21:19):
in any sense, they're all goodthings, but they won't fit
everybody.
So it's finding your unique setof values, being able to
clarify it, communicate it, andthen hold people accountable to
(21:39):
that value.
And that's easier to do whenyou are attracting people and
aligning people who also sharethose values.
And that's like the big thinghere is we all value different
things.
Some of us value freedom andcreativity, some of us value
(22:01):
discipline and routine.
The important thing is to findpeople to join your organization
who also share those samevalues because they will thrive,
they will help your brand cometo life, they will bring
authenticity, they will bringconsistency because the
(22:23):
alternative is having people inyour organization that don't
share those values.
And so that creates friction,that creates tension, that
creates a lot of intersectionsand way less parallels.
And so that's it's harder tobuild momentum.
It's harder to buildconsistency, it's harder to be
(22:45):
authentic when the people inyour organization don't share
your same values.
But we can never share valuesunless we know first what those
values are.
And when they're ingrained intoour hiring process, our
recruiting process, we're havingconversations around these
things and we're saying, hey, asa business, we value these
(23:09):
things, and this is how weoperate, and this is what guides
the the decisions and thebehavior.
And they have the opportunityto hear that and to and think,
okay, that sounds amazing.
Wow, where have you been?
Or they're thinking, oh, that'sthat's not that's that's not
(23:29):
for me.
I actually worked with a clientone time where they value
excellence in the details, theyvalue consistency, they value
the world of black and white.
They they need people who loveroutine, who love the black and
(23:51):
white, who really are guided bythose principles.
And I they are amazing clients.
Like I love them as a client,but I could never work for them.
I could never thrive in theirorganization because I don't
share those same values.
I don't value the black andwhite, I don't value the
(24:15):
details, I value freedom andflexibility and autonomy and
creativity.
Like it's just, it's not a goodfit.
And so by just knowing that,it's not, I mean, I'm we could
be great people and enjoy beingaround each other and have a
great relationship.
(24:36):
But this, this clarity aroundwhat they value versus what I
value, it helps us make good,healthy decisions about who we
would want to bring onto ourteam, who's naturally going to
thrive, and who we just can staybetter friends with and not be
(24:58):
coworkers with.
So that is the beauty of havingthese different values
outlined, and then making surethat we're attracting people who
share those values, we'rerecognizing and rewarding
behaviors where those valuescome to life, which you should
(25:20):
be seeing all the time.
You're talking about it, you'recoaching on it, you're
reviewing on it, you're givingshout-outs on it.
It is ingrained in yourbusiness and how you operate
because it guides your verydecisions, it guides your very
behaviors.
And you are having honestconversations when actions don't
(25:42):
align with those values.
And you can because it's soclear, because it's so specific.
So as we go through thisexploration of alignment, and
we're talking about culture andthese different elements, I want
to introduce you to twodifferent companies.
(26:06):
And it's a tale of two brands,right?
So I want to paint thispicture, and we're gonna use the
same two companies throughoutthe next few episodes so that
you can fully start to see howthese different elements come
into play.
So these are fictionalbusinesses for the sake of this
(26:28):
example.
However, I have plenty of reallife examples of how this comes
to life.
So we have two home buildercompanies, right?
So we have company A, they areprecision builders, and they
focus on doing what's right,being safe, and being
(26:52):
consistent.
So they're going to have corevalues like unimpeachable
character.
We do what's right even whenit's inconvenient, unseen, or
uncelebrated.
They value safety first.
So no project, profit, ordeadline is ever worth someone's
(27:13):
well-being.
Wow, that gives you somedirection into how to handle a
specific situation, right?
Like if you're if you're theproject superintendent and you
have laborers on on set on yourteam and there's a snowstorm
coming in, you have a decisionof wow, I could push these guys
(27:35):
through in order to meet thisdeadline, or I could clear
everybody out for the daybecause it's gonna get messy,
it's gonna get wet, icy, cold,and that's not worth it.
Well, when you have this valueof safety first, you're going
that's going to guide thisdecision.
It's going to give you peaceabout it and direction on how to
(27:58):
act in that situation.
Another value isaccountability.
We take responsibility for ourwork, our words, and our
results, precision andconsistency.
We follow proven systems thatprotect quality and trust.
So that's valuing people whofollow the rules.
(28:19):
And we respect the craft.
We take pride in doing thingsthe right way the first time.
So great values, right?
Very clear.
It's gonna guide how peopleshould operate and it's going to
attract a specific type ofemployee.
Now, let me introduce you tocompany B.
(28:41):
This is also a home buildingcompany.
So let's say these twocompanies have an opening for a
project superintendent.
Now, company B is called visionbuilders, right?
So we had company A isprecision builders, and company
B is vision builders.
So they care about innovation,adaptability, and creating
(29:06):
better ways to build.
So they value things likechallenge the ordinary.
So we question assumptions andlook for smarter, more creative
ways to build.
We stay curious, we learn,experiment, and never stop
improving.
So this is invitingexperimentation.
This is inviting, you know,doing something new.
(29:29):
This is inviting testing a newtheory.
We adapt and evolve, we movequickly and adjust to what the
moment demands.
We collaborate boldly.
Great ideas win no matter wherethey come from, and we own the
impact.
We take responsibility for theresults our innovation creates.
(29:50):
So there's some ownership here,just like there was in that
first with the precisionbuilders company.
But this is going to attract.
A completely different type ofperson.
And if you're you and you'relooking for a new project
superintendent position, and youhave these two different job
(30:13):
listings from vision buildersand precision builders, this is
going to give you some clarityon which company you want to go
work for because one of these isgoing to like excite you.
And you're going to be like, ohmy gosh, like, yes, like I love
(30:33):
to challenge the ordinary.
I want to be creative.
I don't like doing the samething, things the way that we've
always done them.
I want to do thingsdifferently.
It's exciting, it's thrilling.
And you like you can feel allof these ideas coming.
You're gonna love working forvision builders.
(30:54):
But if if that that is you, ifthat describes you, and you look
at this precision builders joblisting, you're going to look at
these other values about wefollow proven systems and we we
(31:16):
do things the right way thefirst time.
And you're like, oh man, thatsounds really good, right?
Like you're you're you'reseeing that there's value in
this, but you're like, butthat's just that doesn't excite
me, that doesn't thrill me.
That's not exactly how what Ivalue in my life.
And so it helps you make adecision and you're going to go
(31:38):
towards the job listing thattalks about the things that you
believe in.
It talks about the things thatyou value.
Whereas maybe you're you havedifferent values, and maybe
you're someone where it's like,man, you've been in too many
situations where safety is moreof a suggestion than a rule.
And you've seen people gethurt.
(32:00):
Maybe you saw somebody breaktheir back on a job site because
of carelessness, and becausethe company was like trying to
move things through to meet adeadline.
And maybe like you care aboutpeople and you want to go home
to your family every day, andyou want to be safe.
You don't want to be takingthose risks, but you love to
(32:22):
build, you love to followsystems, you like
predictability, you likeconsistency.
You're really going to beattracted to this precision
builder's company.
That is that is going to do somuch more for you because you're
like, wow, like finally acompany that really cares about
safety.
(32:43):
Like, I've had so manyexperiences of working for
companies that that don't valueit the way I value it.
And here comes this opportunityto work for this company who
values it as much as you do.
So here just examples of howwhat we value and what we
(33:03):
believe not only sets thedirection and the tone for our
brand, but it's also going toattract the right people to come
and join our team.
So we will continue to talkmore about precision builders
and vision builders as we diveinto the other elements that
(33:24):
make up alignment and culture.
But that is the start of thisexample of how different
companies that do the same thingcan operate so differently.
So, just a quick recap, right?
Values are the filter for ourdecisions, our hiring, our
(33:48):
conversations.
They define what we believe.
They are convictions, they givemeaning to the work that we do.
It is what brings words on awall to life.
It is something we live out,and it also provides consistency
so that when we say we believethis, we're consistently living
(34:11):
it out and we're being authenticto ourselves and to our brand
because we're attracting peoplewho share these values, and
alignment is being createdbecause we're we're growing in
the same direction.
And no amount of talking orcoaching or performance
(34:36):
improvement plans or anything isever going to convince someone
to believe or value somethingthat they don't.
So the more transparent, themore upfront, the more clear,
the more bold we can be withwhat we believe in our values
and ingraining it into ourculture, the more we're going to
(35:00):
attract people who inherentlyhave these values, who share
these values.
And we're going to spend lesstime dealing with the friction
and the tension and thefrustration that comes with
having people on board who don'tshare those values.
So that is this one element ofwhat creates alignment within
(35:24):
culture.
And in the next episode, we'regoing to continue on this series
and we're going to be talkingabout work style alignment and
understanding how we work andfinding the people who are the
best suited to thrive withinthat environment.
So as always, you can learnmore at
(35:46):
Clearauthenticbrands.com.
That's all for this episode.
I will see you in the next one.
Welcome back to the Building A Clear Authentic Brand
podcast.
I'm your host, Amy Dardis.
We're in part two of ourseven-part mini-series on
creating alignment with yourpeople.
And today we're talking aboutaligning values.
So last episode, we introducedthe series and the big picture
of creating alignment with yourpeople.
(00:32):
And there are three dimensionsto alignment that we're
exploring, calling on the threeC's just to keep it nice and
catchy.
So number one is culture,number two is capacity, and
number three is contribution.
Those make up our threedimensions, our three Cs.
And we are starting with thefirst C, which is culture.
(00:56):
And within culture, there arefour subcategories or four
elements that make up whatculture is and whether or not we
have alignment in it.
So the first is values, thesecond is work style, the third
is traits, and the fourth isnon-negotiables.
(01:19):
And today we are focusing onthe first element of culture,
which are values.
Now, when I start first startedworking with businesses, I
thought values were just wordson a wall.
When I thought about values,when I heard about values, they
(01:40):
didn't mean much.
And I was pretty judgmentalabout companies that had them or
said that they had them.
And honestly, most businessesdidn't have them.
Most businesses don't havethem.
And if they do, they're oftencliche or generic, empty.
(02:03):
Because, you know,unfortunately, in most cases,
they are like they they are justwords on a wall.
They are just things that soundgood, but don't really reflect
how the business reallyoperates, or it doesn't really
(02:23):
guide how they make decisions orthe people that they hire.
So the words that are used areoften generic, they're overused.
It seems like everybody has thesame values, you know, things
like integrity or teamwork oraccountability, just like one
word that just like it, it it'sa good word, and I think it
(02:46):
holds good meaning and goodintent.
But it's hard to bring one wordto life within a business.
And so they sound, you know,good.
They're they're good words, butthey're not being lived out.
And what I learned along theway was that real values,
(03:12):
they're they're not words,they're beliefs.
Like values are convictions,values are principles that
determine how you makedecisions.
And when your values are clear,decisions actually get simpler.
And when they're not clear orwhen they're non-existent, then
(03:36):
you have the side effects ofthat, and it shows up everywhere
in your business.
You have confusion, you havefrustration, you have
inconsistency, you have drift,you have a business that doesn't
know what it believes in.
You have people who don't knowwhat they believe in because
there are no beliefs that aredefined.
(03:57):
There are no guiding principlesto say, this is how we act,
this is how we make decisions,this is our filter for how we
will operate, how we will moveforward.
And so values really arebeliefs that drive behavior.
And they answer the question: what do we believe is right, (04:16):
undefined
good, and important?
And how should that belief showup in action?
And that is the key here iswhat does that look like lived
out?
So values are not marketinglanguage or ideals, they're the
(04:40):
convictions that shape how yourorganization thinks, decides,
and acts.
And values alignment means thata person's beliefs and
principles are consistent withthe organization's values.
(05:00):
So what the organizationbelieves, what the principles
that guide them, the people whowork for them value those things
too.
We have shared values because,like we talked about in the last
episode, we are first definingour core, our shared common
(05:22):
ground.
And one of the things we haveto define is our values.
What do we believe?
And then we attract people whohave this shared ground, these
shared beliefs, these sharedattributes while still ref
respecting individualities,while still honoring it, while
(05:43):
still embracing it.
But we have to have some kindof common ground and values,
like what we believe and what'sgoing to guide us, needs to be
one of those things that weshare.
So when we're looking at aperson who's going to join our
organization, or we're lookingat an existing team member, we
(06:05):
have to be able to answer thequestion: does this person
believe what we believe abouthow we do business, about how we
treat people, about how we makedecisions?
And the unfortunate realreality is that there are so
many businesses out there thatdon't take the time to actually
(06:29):
define what they believe.
They don't define their valuesin this way, in the way I'm
going to present to you today.
And so there is no way toanswer that question.
And so that's where we getfrustration, that's where we get
misalignment, that's where weget a chaos and people going
their different directions.
(06:49):
Because if we didn't definewhat we believe first, you
can't, you can't even answer ifsomeone shares those beliefs or
not.
You end up with a bunch ofpeople who believe a bunch of
different things.
And because you, as the leaderand as the organization or as
the leadership team, don't knowwhat you believe, it's like,
well, this sounds good, but thenthis person has a point.
(07:12):
And how do we make thisdecision?
Well, what's the mostopportunistic thing to do here?
And that's kind of how we endup going through business and
running through these differentsituations.
But values guide how we behave,they guide how we make
decisions and they guide how wetreat people.
(07:35):
So how we treat each other, howwe treat our coworkers, how we
treat our customers.
It gives you clarity on how toact within a certain situation.
It gives you clarity on how tomake a decision that's going to
align with your brand, withgoing to align with your purpose
(07:57):
and your mission and yourcalling and what makes you
unique and what makes youdifferent so that you stay
authentic to who you are.
You protect your brand and youcontinue to move forward with
clarity and direction andmomentum.
So these shared values end updoing these three things.
(08:20):
They're going to drivebehavior, they're going to help
us filter decisions that we'remaking on who do we hire, what
processes do we implement, whatopportunities do we say yes to,
which direction do we move into?
What messages do we put outthere?
They really become our filter.
(08:40):
But values also create astandard.
They're something that we cantangibly hold on to.
We can define and say, this ishow we act.
These are the behaviors that weexpect of our of our brand, of
our business, of our people.
And here is how we actually canhold ourselves accountable to
(09:05):
them.
So it's not just like, oh, thisperson is good or this person
is bad.
It's no, we use this specificvalue to guide how we want our
team to act in a specificsituation, and we can clearly
identify when a person acted inthat situation correctly, or
(09:32):
when a person went against thatand acted differently.
And then there's someaccountability there.
We can call it out, we can talkabout it, we can coach on it,
we can correct it, or we canunderstand that this there is
misalignment here, and we have aproblem that we have to
address.
(09:53):
So it creates all kinds ofopportunities to take
subjectiveness out of it, andbehavior and culture then
becomes objective because we aredefining the standard.
We're defining what it is thatwe believe is the right thing to
(10:15):
do, what we believe isimportant, what we believe how
we should operate.
So, where do we start?
We have to first start withdefining our values.
Well, how do we do that?
Well, we ask this question whatdo we believe about work and
people and success?
(10:36):
Like, what do we believematters in the long run?
What do we believe is the rightthing to do?
What is our own moral compassthat we want to live by and be
guided by?
And then we want to look atbehavior.
So, what actions on your teamor in yourself like are you
(10:59):
proud of?
Like, what are the actions youwant?
Like, I want more of that.
We need to duplicate more ofthat.
And then what actions existthat that frustrate you or that
you're frustrated with or createfrustration within your team?
That's where you're gonna seelike this this differentiator
between what matters to you andwhat you're like, oh no, I want
(11:24):
to stay away from that.
And then we have to take thesebeliefs and these actions and
these behaviors, and we have tomake them actionable.
And so we have to write themand position them in a way where
you would be able to use it toguide behavior and guide thought
(11:47):
process within a specificsituation or circumstance.
So instead of using somethingthat's like a word, like
integrity or honesty, we wouldsay a phrase that guides a
decision or a behavior to say,do what's right.
And then next to that, it sayswe we tell the truth, even when
(12:11):
it costs us something.
So that gives me direction.
So when I'm in a situation andI let's say see an employee
doing something that theyshouldn't be, maybe they're
clocking out early and they'relying on their time card, you
know, and I'm seeing thisbehavior.
I'm like, okay, well, how howwould the company, how would the
(12:31):
leadership team, how would myboss want me to act in this
situation?
Well, it's pretty obvious.
Like the our our values say wetell the truth even when it
costs us something.
Or another value that we wouldsay, do what it takes, which
(12:52):
means that we take ownership andwe find solutions, not excuses.
Okay, so now we have a team, ateam meeting, and we have a
problem that we're trying tosolve for a customer.
You might have an employee whois like, I don't know what to
do.
I just they they just want todo it their own way, and there's
(13:12):
really nothing that can be donehere.
And and they're just kind oflike brushing it off, and you're
finding through furtherconversation that they had
failed to follow up or they hadfailed to follow through on a
commitment with a customer.
Now that customer is upset andis threatening to remove their
(13:35):
business from from from yourbusiness, don't want to support
you anymore.
And here is this employee whois not taking ownership, they're
not finding solutions, they'rethey're making excuses.
And so you can look at thisperson and you can say with
(13:56):
objectivity, with clarity andwith a standard, you're gonna be
like, hey, look, in thiscompany, in this business, we do
with that, what it takes.
And for us, it means we takeownership and we find solutions
and not excuses.
Here's the issue (14:13):
the issue is you failed to do something, you
failed to follow up, you failedto follow through with this
customer.
You are not taking ownershipfor it.
And instead of findingsolutions or telling the truth,
even when it costs yousomething, even though it costs
(14:34):
you your pride, or you riskletting the team down, you are
making an excuse.
And that is not how we behaveas a company.
That is not how we handlesituations.
So they then know without adoubt, wow, you're right,
because this isn't the firsttime that they've heard about
(14:54):
this value.
They know that this meanssomething.
They were hired through it,they were trained on it.
You guys talk about it all thetime.
And now you can call them outand coach them in a situation,
and they should be able torecognize that I am not living
by this value.
(15:15):
And this can either be aone-time situation or it can be
something that maybe repeatsitself over and over again, and
then you realize wow, I have anissue of misalignment.
This individual does not behaveby these values on a regular
basis.
So that's the beauty of beingable to define it and bring it
(15:40):
to life and help people knowwhat's expected, but also know
how to have this independentthinking and autonomy within a
situation where you're notthere.
So they're with a customer,they can't get a hold of you to
ask direction on what theyshould do.
(16:02):
And in their head, they can belike, okay, well, what is what
do we believe as a company?
Well, we believe in doingwhat's right, we believe in
doing what it takes.
I'm going to make thisdecision.
I'm going to do these thingsbased on these values.
And when my boss asks me later,why did you make this decision?
I'm going to point it back tothese values.
(16:24):
And they have peace with that.
They have conviction with that,they have direction with that,
without you telling themspecifically what it is that
they need to do.
So, based on that, your valuesshould also be authentic, not
aspirational.
So, values need to actuallyreflect who you really are.
(16:47):
So, if you are a business thatreally does value learning and
growing and curiosity, that thatlooks like certain things.
So it looks like a businessthat invests in training.
It looks like people who arehungry to learn and read books
(17:12):
and listen to podcasts and watchYouTube videos and they're
excited to attend training.
It looks like a business thathas a lot of certifications, a
lot of discussions around, well,what do we learn in this
situation?
Like it, it's real.
Like you see this in certainareas.
It doesn't look like a businessthat thinks that training is a
(17:35):
waste of time or that does notvalue books and podcasts and
being challenged by differentperspectives.
Like there, that is thedifference between are we a
business that values learning,that values what do we not know
that we need to know and we wantto pursue that journey versus
(17:58):
we think we know what we knowand we value other things,
right?
So it's like we don't all valuethe same things.
We need to know what do wereally value?
What do you, as the leader,really value in a business?
Because a lot of the times it'sit's going to start with you,
but we are looking at the peoplewho are in our business because
(18:19):
we've talked about this before.
Our people really determine thesuccess of our business and how
our brand is actually livedout.
So your values are going to bewhat you celebrate, what you
tolerate, what you are going tocorrect on because it matters so
(18:41):
much to you, because it's abelief, it's a conviction, it's
something that you're not goingto just let slide.
So I want to just share withyou just some examples of core
values and how they can be sodrastically different.
And it's impossible to be abusiness that values everything.
(19:01):
We prioritize what it is thatwe value.
So we talked about this valueof staying curious, of asking,
exploring, and never stoplearning.
We're seeking people to bringon to our team who genuinely
love to learn where that'sexciting to them.
You could have a value that isextreme ownership.
(19:23):
So people who own their work,they own their results, their
impact.
There is no excuse making inyour company.
You guys are extreme about it,you are fanatic about it.
I mean, this is all about whenwe win, when we lose, like we
are, we're in it together.
And it's like, what could Ihave done differently?
(19:45):
What could I have, you know,how could I improve next time?
Like, where have I maybecontributed to this negative
result?
How can I get better?
We could you have somethinglike challenge the ordinary.
So this is a company thatvalues and believes in pushing
boundaries and rethinkingpossibilities and creating what
(20:07):
others won't.
This is something Apple isknown for being a business that
believes in challenging theordinary and creating what
others won't.
This is a business that valuesinnovation and thinking outside
the box and not just stayingwith what they know.
But then you could be somethingdifferent than that.
(20:33):
Maybe you're not someone whochallenges the ordinary, but you
you believe in refusingmediocrity.
You don't settle for average,you strive for impact.
Maybe you're a business thatbuilds belonging, like you
create spaces where people feelseen and heard and value.
(20:54):
Maybe you're a business that isthe master of the details and
you believe in excellence in thesmall things, like those little
tiny things that we do day inand day out with discipline and
consistency and you know,discipline over motivation.
So there's a wide gambit ofthings that you could value, and
(21:19):
in any sense, they're all goodthings, but they won't fit
everybody.
So it's finding your unique setof values, being able to
clarify it, communicate it, andthen hold people accountable to
(21:39):
that value.
And that's easier to do whenyou are attracting people and
aligning people who also sharethose values.
And that's like the big thinghere is we all value different
things.
Some of us value freedom andcreativity, some of us value
(22:01):
discipline and routine.
The important thing is to findpeople to join your organization
who also share those samevalues because they will thrive,
they will help your brand cometo life, they will bring
authenticity, they will bringconsistency because the
(22:23):
alternative is having people inyour organization that don't
share those values.
And so that creates friction,that creates tension, that
creates a lot of intersectionsand way less parallels.
And so that's it's harder tobuild momentum.
It's harder to buildconsistency, it's harder to be
(22:45):
authentic when the people inyour organization don't share
your same values.
But we can never share valuesunless we know first what those
values are.
And when they're ingrained intoour hiring process, our
recruiting process, we're havingconversations around these
things and we're saying, hey, asa business, we value these
(23:09):
things, and this is how weoperate, and this is what guides
the the decisions and thebehavior.
And they have the opportunityto hear that and to and think,
okay, that sounds amazing.
Wow, where have you been?
Or they're thinking, oh, that'sthat's not that's that's not
(23:29):
for me.
I actually worked with a clientone time where they value
excellence in the details, theyvalue consistency, they value
the world of black and white.
They they need people who loveroutine, who love the black and
(23:51):
white, who really are guided bythose principles.
And I they are amazing clients.
Like I love them as a client,but I could never work for them.
I could never thrive in theirorganization because I don't
share those same values.
I don't value the black andwhite, I don't value the
(24:15):
details, I value freedom andflexibility and autonomy and
creativity.
Like it's just, it's not a goodfit.
And so by just knowing that,it's not, I mean, I'm we could
be great people and enjoy beingaround each other and have a
great relationship.
(24:36):
But this, this clarity aroundwhat they value versus what I
value, it helps us make good,healthy decisions about who we
would want to bring onto ourteam, who's naturally going to
thrive, and who we just can staybetter friends with and not be
(24:58):
coworkers with.
So that is the beauty of havingthese different values
outlined, and then making surethat we're attracting people who
share those values, we'rerecognizing and rewarding
behaviors where those valuescome to life, which you should
(25:20):
be seeing all the time.
You're talking about it, you'recoaching on it, you're
reviewing on it, you're givingshout-outs on it.
It is ingrained in yourbusiness and how you operate
because it guides your verydecisions, it guides your very
behaviors.
And you are having honestconversations when actions don't
(25:42):
align with those values.
And you can because it's soclear, because it's so specific.
So as we go through thisexploration of alignment, and
we're talking about culture andthese different elements, I want
to introduce you to twodifferent companies.
(26:06):
And it's a tale of two brands,right?
So I want to paint thispicture, and we're gonna use the
same two companies throughoutthe next few episodes so that
you can fully start to see howthese different elements come
into play.
So these are fictionalbusinesses for the sake of this
(26:28):
example.
However, I have plenty of reallife examples of how this comes
to life.
So we have two home buildercompanies, right?
So we have company A, they areprecision builders, and they
focus on doing what's right,being safe, and being
(26:52):
consistent.
So they're going to have corevalues like unimpeachable
character.
We do what's right even whenit's inconvenient, unseen, or
uncelebrated.
They value safety first.
So no project, profit, ordeadline is ever worth someone's
(27:13):
well-being.
Wow, that gives you somedirection into how to handle a
specific situation, right?
Like if you're if you're theproject superintendent and you
have laborers on on set on yourteam and there's a snowstorm
coming in, you have a decisionof wow, I could push these guys
(27:35):
through in order to meet thisdeadline, or I could clear
everybody out for the daybecause it's gonna get messy,
it's gonna get wet, icy, cold,and that's not worth it.
Well, when you have this valueof safety first, you're going
that's going to guide thisdecision.
It's going to give you peaceabout it and direction on how to
(27:58):
act in that situation.
Another value isaccountability.
We take responsibility for ourwork, our words, and our
results, precision andconsistency.
We follow proven systems thatprotect quality and trust.
So that's valuing people whofollow the rules.
(28:19):
And we respect the craft.
We take pride in doing thingsthe right way the first time.
So great values, right?
Very clear.
It's gonna guide how peopleshould operate and it's going to
attract a specific type ofemployee.
Now, let me introduce you tocompany B.
(28:41):
This is also a home buildingcompany.
So let's say these twocompanies have an opening for a
project superintendent.
Now, company B is called visionbuilders, right?
So we had company A isprecision builders, and company
B is vision builders.
So they care about innovation,adaptability, and creating
(29:06):
better ways to build.
So they value things likechallenge the ordinary.
So we question assumptions andlook for smarter, more creative
ways to build.
We stay curious, we learn,experiment, and never stop
improving.
So this is invitingexperimentation.
This is inviting, you know,doing something new.
(29:29):
This is inviting testing a newtheory.
We adapt and evolve, we movequickly and adjust to what the
moment demands.
We collaborate boldly.
Great ideas win no matter wherethey come from, and we own the
impact.
We take responsibility for theresults our innovation creates.
(29:50):
So there's some ownership here,just like there was in that
first with the precisionbuilders company.
But this is going to attract.
A completely different type ofperson.
And if you're you and you'relooking for a new project
superintendent position, and youhave these two different job
(30:13):
listings from vision buildersand precision builders, this is
going to give you some clarityon which company you want to go
work for because one of these isgoing to like excite you.
And you're going to be like, ohmy gosh, like, yes, like I love
(30:33):
to challenge the ordinary.
I want to be creative.
I don't like doing the samething, things the way that we've
always done them.
I want to do thingsdifferently.
It's exciting, it's thrilling.
And you like you can feel allof these ideas coming.
You're gonna love working forvision builders.
(30:54):
But if if that that is you, ifthat describes you, and you look
at this precision builders joblisting, you're going to look at
these other values about wefollow proven systems and we we
(31:16):
do things the right way thefirst time.
And you're like, oh man, thatsounds really good, right?
Like you're you're you'reseeing that there's value in
this, but you're like, butthat's just that doesn't excite
me, that doesn't thrill me.
That's not exactly how what Ivalue in my life.
And so it helps you make adecision and you're going to go
(31:38):
towards the job listing thattalks about the things that you
believe in.
It talks about the things thatyou value.
Whereas maybe you're you havedifferent values, and maybe
you're someone where it's like,man, you've been in too many
situations where safety is moreof a suggestion than a rule.
And you've seen people gethurt.
(32:00):
Maybe you saw somebody breaktheir back on a job site because
of carelessness, and becausethe company was like trying to
move things through to meet adeadline.
And maybe like you care aboutpeople and you want to go home
to your family every day, andyou want to be safe.
You don't want to be takingthose risks, but you love to
(32:22):
build, you love to followsystems, you like
predictability, you likeconsistency.
You're really going to beattracted to this precision
builder's company.
That is that is going to do somuch more for you because you're
like, wow, like finally acompany that really cares about
safety.
(32:43):
Like, I've had so manyexperiences of working for
companies that that don't valueit the way I value it.
And here comes this opportunityto work for this company who
values it as much as you do.
So here just examples of howwhat we value and what we
(33:03):
believe not only sets thedirection and the tone for our
brand, but it's also going toattract the right people to come
and join our team.
So we will continue to talkmore about precision builders
and vision builders as we diveinto the other elements that
(33:24):
make up alignment and culture.
But that is the start of thisexample of how different
companies that do the same thingcan operate so differently.
So, just a quick recap, right?
Values are the filter for ourdecisions, our hiring, our
(33:48):
conversations.
They define what we believe.
They are convictions, they givemeaning to the work that we do.
It is what brings words on awall to life.
It is something we live out,and it also provides consistency
so that when we say we believethis, we're consistently living
(34:11):
it out and we're being authenticto ourselves and to our brand
because we're attracting peoplewho share these values, and
alignment is being createdbecause we're we're growing in
the same direction.
And no amount of talking orcoaching or performance
(34:36):
improvement plans or anything isever going to convince someone
to believe or value somethingthat they don't.
So the more transparent, themore upfront, the more clear,
the more bold we can be withwhat we believe in our values
and ingraining it into ourculture, the more we're going to
(35:00):
attract people who inherentlyhave these values, who share
these values.
And we're going to spend lesstime dealing with the friction
and the tension and thefrustration that comes with
having people on board who don'tshare those values.
So that is this one element ofwhat creates alignment within
(35:24):
culture.
And in the next episode, we'regoing to continue on this series
and we're going to be talkingabout work style alignment and
understanding how we work andfinding the people who are the
best suited to thrive withinthat environment.
So as always, you can learnmore at
(35:46):
Clearauthenticbrands.com.
That's all for this episode.
I will see you in the next one.
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