Values Schmalues
Every brand has that slide. You know the one. A tidy lineup of floating, tasteful pastel bubbles with core values; “Integrity,” “Innovation,” “Collaboration,”...
And every time I see it, I can feel my brain trying to quietly leave the building.
Core Values are starting to feel like those all-white interiors renovation—polished, inoffensive, and impossible to live in.
Big Corporates tout them, small business copies them, and neither really means them.
They sit on 'About Us' pages, in pitch decks and workshop output packs—completely disconnected from how anyone actually behaves.
I should know.
I facilitate those offsite workshops (Yes, I'm that guy 😅).
And yet—I fundamentally believe in core values. As positioning, as clarity, as a compass.
But if the outcome is another round of buzzwords pulled from a LinkedIn laundry list or fragments carefully chosen from Patagonias Mission Statement... then honestly? Don’t bother.
Do it well—or don’t do it at all.
Here’s how to do it well:
Start with what matters. Not what sounds nice. Not what looks good on a wall. Not what you think a company like yours should believe in. But what actually matters to you—and the kind of business you want to build.
Don't start with a long list of values, and 'circle your favourites'. "Oooh.. Bravery! Yes! We are SO brave."
Starts with your experience—the stuff you have seen, the moments that made a mark on you, the behaviours that you never want to see in your business.
The boss that tore the creative off the walls in anger after the team worked through the night.
The client that crossed the line, yelling at your team.
The employee that walked away with your biggest client.
Because when you know what you never want to be—you start to define what you stand for.
That’s where real values live.
So, go ahead and dig yours out. Dust off that workshop output pack. Read your values. How do you feel?
If you’re building a business that truly means something to you, your team, your clients, to the world... this exercise might be exactly what you need.
Want a copy?
Sorry. It’s inside The Crew—along with all the other tools we use to build real values-aligned businesses.
Kidding. Just reply and ask me about it. I’ll point you in the right direction.
Now that's integrity. 😉