Why values-driven leadership matters

In the last of our values article series, we explore the critical role your leaders play in driving a values-led culture.

To make your values count, they must become the cornerstone of how decisions are made, how employees interact, and how customers perceive your brand. Your leaders are the custodians of authentic consistent delivery of this. Their actions, decisions, and communication set the tone for how values are interpreted and integrated into your daily operations. Without leaders who buy into, and role model the appropriate behaviour, your values risk becoming empty promises, quickly losing their impact.

Bringing your leaders on the journey

Your leaders know your business better than anyone. Or at least they think they do. So, it’s critical they come with you along any values refresh exercise. Make sure they are fully onboard with the value of what you are doing and that they have the opportunity to contribute to both the articulation of values and how they are deployed across the business.

Top tip: get your leaders excited about the power of great brand values with a best practice workshop at the start of your values refresh initiative. Create an interactive session full of inspiration from values-led businesses and demonstrate the impact of well-executed values on a business’s bottom line. This is a good opportunity to remind them of the importance of role modelling and the part they play as leaders in the successful deployment of refreshed values.

121-interviews with your leaders regarding the strongest attributes of the current company culture, along with the behaviours they would like to change, is a great way to ensure they feel listened to and involved in the initial formulation of the values. The themes from these initial interviews can then be tested with the wider business. After completing your research across the organisation, you can come back and report on how the wider organisation measure up against their perceptions.

Empowering your leaders to live and breathe your values

Once your research is complete, your leaders should be the first to see your recommended approach for your refreshed values. Not only should they see the messaging, but also your strategy and roadmap for deploying them across the business, complete with behaviours and exercises you’d like to see from your leaders to support this.

Leaders should be actively involved in the launch of new values, contributing to any colleague events and comms you deliver. Following that, they’ll be expected to activate the values to inform decision making, adopting any new value-led initiatives quickly to encourage take up across the business.

How to create a values-led culture

Embedding values in any business isn’t a one-time initiative — it’s a continuous commitment that shapes every phase of the employee lifecycle. When values are present at every touchpoint, employees can consistently connect their work to a shared purpose, ultimately enhancing motivation, reducing turnover, and creating stronger alignment toward the company’s goals.