How to Keep Company Values Alive

Sustaining Organizational Principles in Daily Operations

Company principles become meaningful only when they move from posters to practice. Keeping them alive requires embedding them into the daily rhythm of work—how decisions are made, how people are managed, and how success is communicated. This is not a one-time initiative but a continuous cycle of integration, reinforcement, and dialogue.

Define Observable Behaviors for Each Value

Abstract terms like "integrity" or "innovation" are open to interpretation. To keep company values alive, you must translate them into specific, observable actions for different roles.

• For "Customer Focus": For a support agent, this might mean "Follows up with a customer 48 hours after a ticket is resolved to ensure satisfaction." For an engineer, it could be "Prioritizes bug fixes that impact the largest user segment."
• For "Teamwork": For a manager, this could be "Publicly credits team members for their contributions in cross-functional meetings." For an individual contributor, it might be "Proactively shares documentation and learnings from a project in the team channel."

Actionable Checklist:

• $render`✓` For each value, draft 3-5 behavioral statements.
• $render`✓` Validate these behaviors with employees from different departments to ensure they are realistic and relevant.
• $render`✓` Document the final behaviors in a simple, accessible guide.

Integrate Values into Every People Process

Your people systems are the engine that drives behavior. To keep company values alive, they must be woven into the entire employee lifecycle.

Hiring and Onboarding

"We can teach skills, but we hire for value alignment." Use behavioral interview questions to probe for past actions that demonstrate your principles. During onboarding, don't just list the values; use scenarios and stories to show them in action.

Performance and Promotions Move beyond evaluating what was achieved to include how it was achieved. Incorporate your defined behaviors into review forms and promotion rubrics. A high performer who consistently violates a core value should not be promoted.

Compensation and Recognition Link spot awards, bonuses, or other rewards to specific demonstrations of values. For example, a peer-nominated award for "Championing Collaboration" with a small monetary prize or extra time off.

Apply Values as a Decision-Making Framework

Values should be a practical tool for navigating tough choices. In planning meetings or strategy sessions, make it a standard practice to ask: "Which option best aligns with our value of [X]?"

When a decision is made, leaders should communicate the why behind it, explicitly connecting it to a value. For instance: "We decided to delay this feature launch because our value of 'Quality' means we won't ship a product that isn't fully tested." This transparency shows the principles are operational, not ornamental.

Cultivate Stories and Recognition

Stories are the most powerful vehicle for cultural transmission. Create regular channels to spotlight "values in action."

• Dedicate a segment in all-hands meetings to sharing a story of an employee living a value.
• Start team meetings by asking, "Has anyone seen a great example of [Value] this week?"
• Create a simple #values-in-action channel in your communication tool (Slack, Teams) where anyone can post shout-outs.

Recognition must be specific. Instead of "Great job, Sarah," say, "Sarah demonstrated 'Ownership' by stepping in to troubleshoot the client's issue after hours, ensuring we met our service commitment."

Foster Co-Ownership Through Dialogue

Values imposed from above feel like mandates. Values shaped by the team foster genuine belief. Create spaces for ongoing conversation.

• Host quarterly value forums: In small groups, discuss: "Where are we excelling at 'Innovation'? Where could we improve?"
• Involve employees in updates: As your company evolves, involve a cross-section of staff in reviewing and refreshing the behavioral examples tied to each value. This keeps them current and owned by the organization.

Ensure Constant Visibility and Repetition

Out of sight is out of mind. Embed your principles and their behavioral examples in the tools and spaces people use daily.

Visibility Checklist:

• $render`✓` Feature values on the intranet homepage or dashboard.
• $render`✓` Include a value reminder in meeting template headers.
• $render`✓` Design office wall graphics that feature employee stories, not just value words.
• $render`✓` Leaders should reference values in written and verbal communications consistently.

Hold Leadership Accountable Above All

Leadership behavior is the most watched signal. If leaders contradict the stated values, all other efforts are undermined. Leaders must be held to the highest standard.

• Model in Tough Choices: This might mean a leader walking away from lucrative business with a client whose practices conflict with company ethics.
• Formalize Accountability: Include a substantive evaluation of how a leader embodies and champions company values in their performance review. Misalignment here should have clear consequences.

Launch Focused, Time-Boxed Initiatives

Maintain momentum with short-term, engaging campaigns centered on a single value.

• Example: Run a "Customer Empathy Sprint" where every department is challenged to gather direct user feedback and propose one improvement.
• Example: Host an "Innovation Jam" where teams have 48 hours to prototype a solution related to a core business challenge. Celebrate the outcomes, not just the activity.

Periodically Review and Refresh

Your values should be stable, but their expression should evolve. Schedule an annual or bi-annual review to ask:

• Do our stated values still reflect who we are and who we aspire to be?
• Are the behavioral examples still accurate and challenging?
• Are there gaps between our "espoused" values and our "lived" experience?

Use surveys, focus groups, and exit interview data to inform this review. Small refinements to language or examples can significantly boost relevance and commitment.

By implementing these interconnected strategies, you move beyond declaring values to truly embedding them. The goal is to reach a point where the principles are so ingrained that employees instinctively use them as their guide, ensuring the company's core identity remains vibrant and active every day.