Recently I attended the Health and Wellbeing @Work Expo at the NEC in Birmingham. Among the many good speakers was Dr Gian Power OBE who asked the question: \u201cAre your company values laminated or lived?\u201d<\/p>\n
This question resonated strongly. Sadly, I can reel off a list of companies who proudly display their values for all to see\u2014beautifully designed posters in reception, polished statements on their website\u2014yet forget to roll them down through the organisation to those who deliver to your customers, every day. Even more importantly, they fail to use them to shape how colleagues support one another and the message your company consistently gives out, causing a disconnect in the minds and actions of employees and customers.<\/p>\n
Why do We have Values?<\/strong><\/p>\n At their best, organisational values are not marketing slogans; they are decision-making tools. They guide how leaders lead, how managers manage, and how teams collaborate. They define how things are done when policies or procedures don\u2019t provide the full answer.<\/p>\n For leadership teams, values are designed to act as a strategic compass. They help determine priorities, shape behaviours during periods of change, and create consistency across departments, locations and leadership styles.<\/p>\n For managers, they offer a framework for everyday choices\u2014how to deal with a difficult situation, how to balance performance and wellbeing, how to respond when pressures increase.<\/p>\n For employees, they provide clarity and psychological safety. When not clear and genuinely practised, people understand what is expected of them and how they will be treated. They are the bedrock.<\/p>\n Without this alignment, values remain decorative or as Gian Power said \u201claminated\u201d and left on a shelf somewhere, never to see the light of day. With it, they become operational, providing consistency for everyone to work with and by and to build connection with customers creating an understanding of what can be expected and delivered.<\/p>\n Who do Values Serve?<\/strong><\/p>\n Values should serve three critical audiences simultaneously.<\/p>\n 1. Your people.<\/p>\n Employees want to know what kind of organisation they work for. Values signal what behaviours are encouraged, what is rewarded, and what is unacceptable. When people see leaders modelling values consistently, trust grows.<\/p>\n 2. Your customers.<\/p>\n Customers experience your values through every interaction with your organisation. Whether it is responsiveness, integrity, innovation or care, values influence how your people show up when representing your brand.<\/p>\n 3. Your leadership team.<\/p>\n For directors and senior leaders, values act as a shared reference point. They align leadership behaviour, help maintain consistency across functions, and support culture during periods of growth, restructuring or uncertainty.<\/p>\n When values serve all three audiences, they become a cultural operating system, not just a communications exercise.<\/p>\n What Benefit do Values Bring to your Company, Individuals and Teams?<\/strong><\/p>\n When values move from laminated statements to lived behaviours, the impact can be significant.<\/p>\n For the organisation, values strengthen culture and brand credibility. They help attract and retain talent, particularly in a labour market where people increasingly choose employers whose values align with their own. They also support clearer decision-making during challenging moments\u2014when commercial pressure might otherwise override long-term principles.<\/p>\n For leaders and managers, values provide a practical leadership framework. They help guide performance conversations, shape recognition and reward, and provide a consistent lens for managing difficult situations.<\/p>\n For teams, shared values create cohesion. They reduce ambiguity about expectations, support respectful collaboration, and strengthen accountability. When teams understand not just what they are expected to deliver but how they are expected to behave, performance and wellbeing does not compete, but reinforces one another other.<\/p>\n The Real Question for Leaders<\/strong><\/p>\n Many organisations already have well-written values. The challenge is rarely the wording\u2014it is the translation into behaviour. Ask yourself:<\/p>\n \u2022 Do leaders visibly model the values in everyday decisions?<\/p>\n \u2022 Are they embedded in recruitment, onboarding and performance discussions?<\/p>\n \u2022 Do managers feel confident using them to guide conversations and decision-making?<\/p>\n \u2022 Are values recognised and rewarded in practice, not just in principle?<\/p>\n If the answer to any of these questions is uncertain, then values may still be closer to laminated than lived.<\/p>\n For HR and L&D leaders in particular, this presents an opportunity. Culture does not change through posters or presentations; it changes through consistent leadership behaviour, aligned systems training programmes and daily conversations. Ultimately, employees rarely remember the values written on a wall. They remember the values demonstrated in the moments that mattered.<\/p>\n Bringing Values to Life <\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s consider the values of a well-known British company, no names – Safety and Security, Excellence, Caring and Open-Mindedness, supported by commitments to sustainability and diversity.<\/p>\n Safety and Security<\/strong><\/p>\n Safety and security is demonstrated when employees actively protect the wellbeing of colleagues, customers and the organisation. Examples of day-to-day behaviours include:<\/p>\n \u2022 Following safety procedures consistently, even when under pressure or working to tight deadlines.<\/p>\n \u2022 Speaking up when something doesn\u2019t feel safe, whether it\u2019s a faulty piece of equipment, a potential risk to a colleague, or a process that could cause harm.<\/p>\n \u2022 Protecting sensitive information, ensuring customer data, company systems and confidential discussions are handled appropriately.<\/p>\n When employees feel confident to prioritise safety and raise concerns early, organisations reduce risk and strengthen trust across teams.<\/p>\n Excellence<\/strong><\/p>\n Excellence is not only about outstanding results; it is about the consistent pursuit of high standards and continuous improvement. Employees demonstrate excellence when they:<\/p>\n \u2022 Take pride in the quality of their work, checking accuracy and completeness before handing work over to others.<\/p>\n \u2022 Look for ways to improve processes, suggesting more efficient ways of working or better ways to serve customers.<\/p>\n \u2022 Prepare thoroughly for meetings, projects or customer interactions, ensuring they bring worth rather than simply attending.<\/p>\n \u2022 Learn from feedback, seeing mistakes or challenges as opportunities to improve rather than something to avoid.<\/p>\n Excellence becomes part of the culture when people feel responsible not just for completing tasks, but for continually raising the standard of how work is done.<\/p>\n Caring <\/strong><\/p>\n A caring culture is visible in how employees treat colleagues, customers and partners. In practice this might look like:<\/p>\n \u2022 Supporting colleagues during busy periods, offering help rather than focusing only on individual workloads.<\/p>\n \u2022 Listening with empathy, particularly when someone is facing personal challenges or workplace pressures.<\/p>\n \u2022 Recognising the contributions of others, celebrating achievements and acknowledging effort across teams.<\/p>\n \u2022 Considering the impact of decisions on people, not just processes or results.<\/p>\n When caring becomes embedded in everyday behaviour, organisations create environments where people feel respected, empowered and more willing to contribute their best work.<\/p>\n Open-Mindedness<\/strong><\/p>\n Open-minded organisations encourage curiosity, new ideas and different perspectives. Employees demonstrate this value by:<\/p>\n \u2022 Welcoming new ideas from colleagues, regardless of seniority or department.<\/p>\n \u2022 Being willing to adapt, especially when processes change or new technologies are introduced.<\/p>\n \u2022 Listening to different viewpoints, even when they challenge existing assumptions.<\/p>\n \u2022 Learning from other teams, backgrounds or experiences to improve how work is approached.<\/p>\n Open-mindedness helps organisations remain agile and innovative, particularly in rapidly changing markets.<\/p>\n For leaders, HR and L&D professionals, the key question is not simply \u201cDo we have values?\u201d but \u201cCan our people recognise what those values look like in action?\u201d<\/p>\n When employees understand how values translate into daily behaviours \u2014 in conversations, decisions and teamwork \u2014 they stop being statements on a wall and become the way the organisation works everyday building trust not only in the workforce, but also in customer loyalty. <\/p>\n Interested in a conversation with Green Key Contact rachel@greenkeypersonaldevelopment.com<\/a> or book a call https:\/\/calendly.com\/greenkey\/pd-consultation-meeting?month=2026-03<\/a><\/p>\n #leadershipdevelopment, #leadershipmindset #empoweredemployees #customercommunication <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recently I attended the Health and Wellbeing @Work Expo at the NEC in Birmingham. Among the many good speakers was Dr Gian Power OBE who asked the question: \u201cAre your company values laminated or lived?\u201d This question resonated strongly. Sadly, I can reel off a list of companies who proudly display their values for all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,17,8,5,4,15,20],"tags":[29,26,32,31],"class_list":["post-46","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-communication","category-energy-brain-health-performance","category-leadership-coaching","category-leadership-skills","category-management-development","category-presentation-skills","category-self-awareness-personal-growth","tag-communication","tag-leadership","tag-performance","tag-workplace-wellbeing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":312,"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions\/312"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenkey.newwebsitepreview.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}