Core Values in Practice

Culture is everything 🙏🏾 When leaders accept or overlook poor behaviour, they implicitly endorse those actions, potentially eroding the organisation’s values and morale. To build a thriving culture, leaders must actively shape it by refusing to tolerate behaviour that contradicts their values and expectations.
 The best leaders: 
 1. Define and Communicate Core Values: * Articulate Expectations: Clearly define and communicate the organisation’s core values and behavioural expectations. Make these values central to every aspect of the organisation’s operations and culture. * Embed Values in Policies: Integrate these values into your policies, procedures, and performance metrics to ensure they are reflected in daily operations. 
 2. Model the Behaviour You Expect: * Lead by Example: Demonstrate the behaviour you want to see in others. Your actions should reflect the organisation’s values, from how you interact with employees to how you handle challenges. 3. Address Poor Behaviour Promptly: * Act Quickly: Confront and address inappropriate behaviour as soon as it occurs. Delays in addressing issues can lead to a culture of tolerance for misconduct. * Apply Consistent Consequences: Ensure that consequences for poor behaviour are fair, consistent, and aligned with organisational values. This reinforces that there are clear boundaries and expectations.
 4. Foster a Culture of Accountability: * Encourage Self-Regulation: Promote an environment where everyone is encouraged to hold themselves and others accountable for their actions. * Provide Support: Offer resources and support for employees to understand and align with organisational values, helping them navigate challenges and uphold standards.
 5. Seek and Act on Feedback: * Encourage Open Communication: Create channels for employees to provide feedback on behaviour and organisational culture without fear of reprisal. * Respond Constructively: Act on feedback to address and rectify issues. This shows that you value employee input and are committed to maintaining a positive culture.
 6. Celebrate Positive Behaviour: * Recognise and Reward: Acknowledge and reward employees who exemplify the organisation’s values. Celebrating positive behaviour reinforces the desired culture and motivates others to follow suit. * Share Success Stories: Highlight examples of how upholding values has led to positive outcomes, reinforcing the connection between behaviour and organisational success.
 7. Invest in Leadership Development: * Provide Training: Offer training and development opportunities for leaders at all levels to enhance their skills in managing behaviour and fostering a positive culture. 8. Promote Inclusivity and Respect: * Build a Diverse Environment: Create a culture that respects and values diversity. Inclusivity strengthens the organisational fabric and fosters a more collaborative and supportive work environment.

Here's what I learned about company culture after founding and scaling Wondery – insights valuable for both founders and job seekers. Many people get it wrong. They think culture is about perks and ping pong tables. But it's all about who you hire (and later, promote). And timing is everything. When I started Wondery, I knew the culture I wanted to build. We defined five core values: Wonder, Character, Care, Drive, and Fun. Each had its own clear definition and purpose. But here's the key —we didn't just write them down and hope for the best. We made these values the foundation of every single hiring decision. Why? Because while you can teach someone skills (like 'emotionally immersive storytelling', or 'unit economics'), you can't teach them core values. They either align with your culture or they don't. Quick advice for job seekers: When interviewing at a company, ask every interviewer about the company culture. If you get three completely different answers, run the other way. A unified vision of culture starts at the top and should permeate through every level. Here's the brutal truth about timing: when you have 5 employees, each new hire represents 20% of your culture. At 100 employees? Just 1%. The math is clear – your cultural foundation is set in those early days. Jeff Bezos and Reed Hastings understood this – they didn't wait for their company cultures to "just happen." They built them intentionally from day one. So: Founders: What are your non-negotiable values? How are you screening for them in every hire? Job seekers: Are you hearing a consistent cultural message across your interviews? The strongest cultures aren't accidental. They're built with intention, one hire at a time. Would love to hear your experiences with company culture – good or bad. What signals do you look for?

When I joined Khan Academy, we were just four people in a small office, united by a vision of bringing free education to everyone, everywhere. Over the years, we grew to hundreds of employees, reaching over 100 million students worldwide. This exponential growth brought a significant challenge: how do you scale a team without losing the culture and values that made the organization special? The most crucial lesson I learned was that culture doesn't scale automatically - it demands constant attention and effort. The best way I found to attend to culture was to treat your culture like a product. You have to design it. As we grew, it became increasingly important to consider how to help team members learn about and carry the culture forward. Here are three strategies that helped us maintain our culture during rapid growth: 1. Over-communicate the Mission and the Principles that Guide it: As our team grew, we doubled down on ensuring everyone felt connected to our mission and understood our principles. Three of the most important principles were to focus on the student, Always be learning, and deliver exceptional ROI for donors. We regularly shared stories of how our work impacted students' lives, and what we learned from failures and successes, and calculated the number of learning minutes to keep the team aligned with our "why" and “how” and motivated by our shared purpose. 2. Create Rituals that Reinforce Values: We have meaningful rituals, such as starting meetings with student success stories and celebrating what teams learned, not just what they accomplished when we gave status updates. We also organized a yearly talent show and encouraged people to showcase new talents and skills. These practices served as constant reminders of our principles in action. 3. Adapt, but Stay True to Core Values: Growth necessitated changes in processes, tools, and communication methods. For example, we used to be able to share what we were learning during all-hands meetings, but at some point, it became impossible for each team to give an update. As part of our commitment to learning, we began to document our learnings and shared long-form asynchronous updates with everyone. We then shared summaries during all-hands meetings. Scaling a team while preserving its culture is challenging, and we weren’t always successful, either. But we were lucky that the team let us know when they thought we weren’t living up to the mission or principles and encouraged us to make changes.  It is achievable if you remain open to feedback and stay focused on core principles. What strategies have you employed to maintain culture as your team or organization grew?

When you set out to build a company that is good for society, how do you make sure your intentions go beyond just window dressing? In the 21 years that I have written about startups for Bloomberg Businessweek and Fortune and WIRED, I've seen a lot of companies make short-sighted decisions that compromise their social goals. They blame the economy, or the stock market, or a competitive business landscape. They say it's impossible. But companies like Warby Parker prove it’s possible to build a strong business that does good, *even* after 16 years and *even* in this economy. So how do we ensure that purpose stays at the heart of our work? Cofounder Neil Blumenthal shared his thoughts on a recent episode of the #HelloMondayPodcast: 1. Define Clear Values: Purpose can’t just be a buzzword. Embed your company’s core values into everything you do—from how you hire and treat employees to the sustainability of your supply chain. 2. Measure and Share Impact: Be transparent about your goals and track your progress with hard data. Share what’s working, and just as importantly, what’s not. True commitment to change means accountability, not perfection. 3. Engage Stakeholders: Your employees, customers, and communities should have a voice. Create feedback loops that allow for honest input and adjust your approach based on their needs, not just what looks good in a mission statement. 4. Lead by Example: It’s not enough to talk about doing good—your leadership needs to embody these values. Authenticity comes from action at every level of the company. We don't have to sacrifice social impact for growth. It takes intentionality and accountability, but it’s possible to stay true to mission. And: Big gratitude to Leanne Pittsford & the Lesbians Who Tech & Allies Summit for inviting us to record this episode live in September in New York City! What do you think? How can businesses balance purpose with profitability in today’s challenging environment? Who is doing it well?

Pizza parties can't mask poor management. Real change requires leadership, not lunch. Companies keep throwing money at surface-level fixes while missing the core issues. We've focused on the flashy stuff. But the best people keep leaving. Without drama. Without notice. Workplace culture isn't about having cool offices. It's about creating genuine trust and strong leadership. What really drives employee satisfaction: ➜ 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 – Give people control over their projects and decisions. ➜ 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – Pay what the role is actually worth in today's market. ➜ 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 – Let them decide when and where they're most productive. ➜ 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 – Celebrate the work, not just the wins. ➜ 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 – Show them a clear path forward. ➜ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽– Lead with clarity, understanding, and honesty. The fundamentals matter more than the extras. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝟭/ 𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 – Create space where people can share honest feedback without fear. 𝟮/ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 – Set clear goals, then step back and let them figure out how to get there. 𝟯/ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 – Give people the authority to make decisions that affect their work. 𝟰/ 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 – Be direct about what's important and follow through on what you say. 𝟱/ 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - Make sure everyone, including leadership, is held accountable for their actions. 𝟲/ 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 – Help people see how their daily tasks connect to something bigger. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲: Stop thinking "What benefits can we add?" Start asking "What barriers can we remove?" 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: What's one thing you could change tomorrow to make your team's work life better? Share this to remind leaders what really matters. Follow Adeline Tiah for more content on leadership and future of work.

I once worked with a leader who offered a long six hour orientation for new hires to learn about the values and the culture. He was disappointed that no one seemed to remember the values, or put them into action. Truth be told, (I was exhausted listening to the full day orientation complete with models from some of the best leadership gurus in the business,) and I love that kind of thing. I can't imagine a new hire trying to absorb it all. The problem is that book knowledge only goes so far, and posting values on the wall, or delivering half-day presentations won't change behavior. At best, you get intellectual understanding or a drop of awareness. The real value comes through embodiment. Embodiment means living the values when it's easier to make excuses. For example, this leader always shows up late, yet one of their values is excellence. Employees just expect him to be a no-show or show up halfway through a meeting at best. His standards for himself are different than for his team. Posting values on the wall is easy. Living them in meetings, decisions, and tough conversations is where it counts. It's all about alignment, not workshops or promotional materials. If you say you value integrity but don’t keep small promises, you have some work to do. What can you do if you're in a leadership position? Make values actionable. Ask in meetings: “How does this decision reflect our values?” Embed them into hiring, recognition, and feedback. When you make a promise, put it in your calendar. Follow up and apologize when you drop the ball. Make a commitment to be the living example of what you teach in orientation and the values you post on your website. #leadership #values #Trust

Would your company’s culture survive if all the perks disappeared? Culture isn’t about cake-cutting ceremonies, themed Fridays, or aesthetic office walls or plush office space. It’s easy to mistake celebrations and perks for culture. But real culture? It’s built in the everyday moments that shape an organization. It's how stuff gets done in an organization. ✅ It’s in how teams rally around a challenge—not just around a birthday cake. That’s collaboration and resilience in action. ✅ It’s in whether employees feel heard in tough meetings—not just in annual surveys. Respect and fairness define a strong workplace. ✅ It’s in how leaders back their people when things go south—not just in their speeches or offical announcements. Great culture is the middleware of an organization—not just the hardware (the tools, processes, and office spaces). Just like middleware connects different software, culture connects people, enabling communication, collaboration, and shared understanding. Without it, even the best systems fall apart. Culture is felt, not decorated. It’s a sum of shared values, everyday behaviors, and trust. As existentialists might say, culture isn’t what we say—it’s what we do. So here’s the real test: If you took away the events, the perks, and the Instagrammable office space—would your culture still thrive? Let’s talk 👇 #WorkplaceCulture #Leadership #CompanyValues

“We don’t have a culture problem. We’ve got a communication issue.” That’s what a leader told me once. But when we dug deeper, it wasn’t just communication. 📌 Team members weren’t clear on purpose. 📌 People were hesitant to challenge or contribute. 📌 Performance conversations felt like tick-boxes, not development. It wasn’t a communication problem; it was a culture misalignment. And it needed to shift. Through 1-2-1 and team coaching, we supported the organisation’s leaders to: - Build self-awareness and confidence in how they lead - Develop feedback habits that encouraged honest conversations - Create alignment across their values, behaviours, and team dynamics Culture isn’t what’s written on the wall. It’s what’s reinforced every day. If you're seeing similar signs, try this: ✅ Check for clarity of purpose Ask your team: “In one sentence, why do we do what we do?” If the answers vary wildly, you've found a cultural gap worth closing. ✅ Reframe performance conversations Try shifting from “What did you achieve?” to “What energised you—and what drained you?” That one question can change the tone and unlock far richer insights. ✅ Notice who’s not speaking up In meetings, silence is a signal. Use check-ins like “Whose voice haven’t we heard yet?” to build inclusion. ✅ Link behaviour to values, not rules Instead of saying “We need to be more collaborative,” ask, “What does collaboration look like in practice here?” Then look for small moments to role-model it. Culture isn’t fixed by what we say. It’s shaped by what leaders reinforce, reward, and repeat. Have you ever found that what looked like a “communication issue” (or something similar) turned out to be something deeper? I’d love to hear how you spotted it and what helped. Please share in the comments.

✨ What if the beautiful core values on your wall… are a lie? A sign of what you want to be, not who you actually are. Most companies have a list of core values. But only a staggering few truly live them. The truth is, values don’t magically create culture. They must be intentionally and consistently woven into every part of the business — from hiring to firing, and everything in between. 💡 Here are 6 powerful tips for transforming your company culture using core values: 1️⃣ Lead by Example 👣 This is non-negotiable. Leaders must consistently model the core values in their behavior. When leadership walks the talk, it sets the standard and builds credibility across the company. ➡️ Culture starts at the top. 2️⃣ Align Decisions with Values 🧭 Let your values be your compass. Use them to guide both big and small decisions. When choices get tough, your values should be the filter you run everything through. ➡️ Values are the filter for tough decisions. 3️⃣ Incorporate Values into Everyday Work 📌 Take them off the wall and put them into action. Embed values into policies, performance reviews, and recognition programs. Make them a visible, living part of daily routines. ➡️ A living value is a working value. 4️⃣ Celebrate Value-Driven Behaviors 🎉 Recognize what you want to see more of. Celebrate employees who embody your values, and share their stories to reinforce positive examples. ➡️ What gets recognized gets repeated. 5️⃣ Hire for Cultural Fit 🔍 The strongest cultures start with who you let in the door. Recruit people whose personal values align with your company’s. This ensures new hires strengthen your cultural DNA. ➡️ Hiring is the first act of culture building. 6️⃣ Encourage Open Dialogue 💬 Is your culture a two-way street? Invite feedback on how well the company is living its values. This encourages trust and signals a commitment to growth and improvement. ➡️ Accountability is a two-way street. Core values aren’t just words. They are the how and why behind your company’s success. They are the daily behaviors that define who you are. 🌱 Which of these tips do you think is the hardest for leaders to get right? #Leadership #CompanyCulture #CoreValues #BusinessGrowth #OrganizationalCulture #PeopleAndCulture #WorkplaceExcellence #Management #EmployeeEngagement

Culture isn’t about free snacks and open seating. It’s about how people feel every day at work. Perks and a great office may attract talent. But culture is what encourages people to stay — and thrive. Here’s how to create a strong workplace culture: 1. Psychological Safety ↳ People feel safe to speak up, take risks, and grow. ↳ They no fear of judgment, blame, or being dismissed. 2. Genuine Appreciation ↳ A quick “great job” is nice, but real recognition goes deeper. ↳ People want to know their work matters. 3. Clear & Open Communication ↳ Everyone understands what’s expected. ↳ Leaders explain, clarify, and listen with intent. 4. Growth Opportunities ↳ People are supported to learn and advance. ↳ Career paths are visible and within reach. 5. A Strong Sense of Purpose ↳ Work connects to something beyond tasks. ↳ Everyone understands how their impact matters. 6. Work-Life Balance ↳ Time off is respected, not discouraged. ↳ Leaders model boundaries and protect wellbeing. 7. Trust & Ownership ↳ People are empowered to make their own decisions. ↳ Autonomy is normal. Micromanaging is not. 8. Fairness & Inclusion ↳ Every voice is heard and taken seriously. ↳ Growth opportunities are open to everyone. Leaders sometimes overlook this truth: Business growth doesn’t just depend on clients. It depends on the people who serve them. Want to build a high-performing team? Start with the culture you build around them. Which of these 8 shows up in your workplace? ♻️ Found this helpful? Repost to share with others. 📌 Follow Amy Gibson for practical leadership tips.