Values are easy to talk about. Harder to live.
When I stepped into the CEO role, I knew we needed more than a mission and vision. We needed to define how we would behave—especially when things got hard. We needed operating guidelines.
From Abstract to Actionable
At first, I leaned on familiar principles like the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to Treat others as you want to be treated. Then came the Platinum Rule: Treat others as they want to be treated. These were good starting points—but they weren’t enough.
People interpret values differently. “Respect” can mean a dozen things depending on the person. So we had to make our intentions more specific, without becoming rigid or prescriptive.
Together, our leadership team defined a short list of operating guidelines. These weren’t long policies. They were behavioral commitments—clear enough to guide action, flexible enough to adapt.
A Few of the Guidelines We Chose
- Do what you say you will do (DWYSYWD). Your word is your bond.
- Seek clarity. There are no dumb questions.
- Assume good intent. Start with trust.
- Own your mistakes. Learn and don’t repeat.
- Help others succeed. Because we all win or lose together.
These lived alongside our mission and vision on the company philosophy card. But more importantly, they lived in our daily conversations.
Culture Begins Where Tolerance Ends
One of our early tests came in the form of everyday workplace behaviors: loud radios, offensive posters, inappropriate websites open during work hours.
Some people considered it harmless. I didn’t. It violated our commitment to respect and professionalism. So we took a stand. It wasn’t popular with everyone, but it sent a clear message: We mean what we say.
That moment was pivotal. When people saw we were willing to act on our values—not just talk about them—trust began to grow. The fog of ambiguity started to lift. People knew what was okay and what wasn’t. They had a compass.
Reflection Questions
- What are the 3–5 behaviors you want to define your company culture?
- Are they clearly stated, consistently reinforced, and visibly modeled?
- Where is there misalignment between what your organization says it values and what it tolerates?
In the next post, I’ll share how we tackled two of our toughest operational problems—unprofitable sales and global expansion—by applying these very principles.