Why Your Organisation’s Values and Behaviours Matter

We’re working with a new fintech client to help their management team lead with the guidance of their company’s values and behaviours. It got me thinking—many organisations don’t realise just how useful values and behaviours can be in shaping culture and decision making.

How well do your organisation’s values guide the way people work every day? Many businesses define their values early on but never revisit them, while others haven’t formally articulated them at all. Whether you’re starting from scratch or refining what’s already in place, getting clear on both your values and the behaviours that bring them to life is essential for building a strong, aligned culture.

If You Haven’t Defined Your Values Yet...

The best way to create meaningful values is through a facilitated, co-creation process involving all employees. This ensures that your values reflect the true identity of your organisation, rather than being imposed from the top down. When employees help shape the values, they feel a genuine sense of ownership and are more likely to integrate them into their daily work.

A well-designed process involves exploring what makes your organisation unique, what matters most to your people, and how you want to show up in the world. From there, you can define not just the values themselves, but the specific behaviours that demonstrate them in action.

If You Already Have Values Defined...

The next step is to bring your teams into the conversation to make those values truly actionable. Too often, values sit on a website or a slide deck but aren’t clearly understood or applied in decision-making. To embed them in daily work, leaders should meet with their teams to workshop:

• What do these values look like in practice?

• How do they guide our decision-making?

• What behaviours align with these values?

• What does it mean to live these values in our specific roles?

By making values and behaviours a shared conversation rather than an abstract concept, they become a powerful tool for guiding performance and culture.

The Balance Between What and How

Many organisations focus primarily on deliverables—the what—when evaluating performance. But the how is just as important. If someone achieves results but does so in a way that undermines collaboration, trust, or integrity, they can damage the culture and long-term success of the business.

By defining and reinforcing values and behaviours, you ensure that employees understand not just what is expected of them, but how they should work to achieve those expectations.

Leadership Clarity

Clearly articulated values and behaviours also provide essential guidance for leaders. They help leaders understand:

• How to make decisions that align with the company’s culture

• What to prioritise in their leadership approach

• How to role-model the behaviours expected of their teams

Without this clarity, leadership can become inconsistent, and teams may struggle to stay aligned with the organisation’s vision.

Getting Started

If you’re looking to strengthen your culture, start by identifying where you are in the process:

1. If you don’t have values defined: Engage your employees in a co-creation process to develop values and behaviours that truly reflect your organisation.

2. If you already have values in place: Facilitate discussions to ensure they are understood, lived, and embedded in daily work.

3. Regularly reinforce these behaviours: Leaders should consistently role-model and reinforce how these values show up in decision-making and performance.

Culture isn’t just about what your people achieve—it’s about how they achieve it. When values and behaviours are clear, they become a shared foundation for leadership, collaboration, and long-term success.

Is your organisation living its values?

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!