Agree on Values
Values on the wall mean nothing. Live them.
They don't just have a set of values. They live a set of values.Chapter 10, The Big Bold Mindset
60% aligned. 20% in direct conflict.
I was CEO of an early-stage business and had brought in a senior person who, on paper, had everything. Very little of that promise was showing up. I had more than a few broken nights.
Over lunch we shared the values we each held closely. 60% were aligned. 20% were neutral. And 20% were in direct conflict. We'd spent all our energy on the 60%. The unspoken 20% was blocking everything.
Once we talked openly, without judgement, the solution came quickly. We restructured how we worked and growth followed. That conversation was in plain sight from day one.
Do you know what drives your team?
Could you name your own top five values right now?
Have values at work helped growth, or been posters nobody believes?
Where might two people's values be quietly pulling against each other?
Values shape conversations. Conversations shape culture.
Research links strong, lived cultures with better performance and retention, and toxic cultures with stress and burnout. Every toxic workplace still has a nice set of values somewhere.
How values go wrong
Words, not behaviour
Nobody's values say "be unkind". It's what happens day to day that counts.
Same word, different meaning
A leader who values accountability and a manager who values a blame-free culture can loop forever.
Logic over emotion
We talk about plans because it's easier than talking about what drives us.
Holiday Extras: values you can feel
When Caspar spoke to their senior tech leaders, the values were on the website and above reception. That's common. What stood out was that people lived them: in the receptionist's care, in the questions the team asked, in how they challenged each other.
Values come alive when leaders live them consistently, talk about them, and celebrate people who live them.
Here are your values. Here are ours. Let's talk about why we fit.A former KPMG colleague's winning pitch to a private equity fund
Values in three steps
Start at home, not at work. Caspar's friends thought he was corporatising his kids. It became one of the best things the family did.
Your values
Write down the values that matter most to you. Take your time.
The conversation
Ask your family, or your team, for theirs. Find where you align, where you're neutral, and where you differ. Agree simple shared words.
Live them
Make art of them. Create a ritual to share how you lived them this week. Give small, fun prizes.
Ask one question over dinner
Over dinner this week, ask everyone: what matters most in how we treat each other? Find the words you share. Agree one small ritual to notice when someone lives them.
Bring your values to life
Your team will already have values. Step 3 is the one that makes them stick.
Want Caspar to take your team through this? casparcraven.com