How to Turn Company Values into Actionable Leadership Behaviors
Or…What’s the point of Values If No One Knows What They Look Like?
Recently, I had the chance to guest coach for my friends at Salt and Roe in their group coaching program, The Walk-In. They asked me to lead a short “pre-shift” session—a quick, 20-minute teaching moment for hospitality leaders—and I knew exactly what I wanted to bring: a way to make your company values actually mean something in practice. Not just as a poster on the wall, but as a tool you can lead with.
The feedback was so positive, I wanted to make the tool available to more folks. Because honestly, this is the foundation I build so many other people systems on—feedback, hiring, culture, you name it. And it starts here:
We’ve all seen it: the poster in the breakroom, the slide in the onboarding deck, the “our values” tab on the website. Words like integrity, collaboration, excellence, inclusion—floating like good intentions in Helvetica.
But here’s the thing:
If your team can’t tell what your values look like in action, they’re not guiding your culture. They’re just decor.
And if you’re a leader who’s trying to actually live your values—not just talk about them—this post is for you.
Values don’t mean much until they show up on a Tuesday.
It’s easy to align with your values on retreat days or when everything’s going well. It’s much harder when you’re short-staffed, running behind, and someone just dropped the ball.
But that’s the moment when values matter most.
Not as lofty ideals—but as tiny, visible choices.
Do we take a beat to check in with someone who’s clearly overwhelmed? Do we give credit in front of the team, even though we’re feeling stretched ourselves? Do we admit when we made a bad call—and model accountability over ego?
That’s how your values walk around your business. That’s when they become real.
Behavior is the bridge between values and culture.
This is where a lot of leaders get stuck.
They know what they care about. But they don’t always know how to make those values actionable—or how to talk about them with their team in a way that feels clear and consistent.
Here’s the reframe:
Instead of asking, “What are our values?”
Ask: “What does this value look like when someone’s living it?”
Even better: “What does it look like when it’s missing?”
(Not to shame. Just to clarify.)
This is what I call behavioralizing your values—translating abstract ideals into shared, observable behaviors.
Why this matters (more than you might think)
When values become behaviors, they give your team:
Clarity: They know what’s expected, and what’s encouraged.
Consistency: They’re less likely to feel blindsided by feedback or confused by contradictions.
Alignment: They can make decisions that reflect what the organization actually cares about.
And they give you, as a leader, something concrete to coach to.
Instead of vague advice like “you need to communicate better,” you’re naming behaviors your team can actually see—like:
“We respond to Slack messages within 24 hours, even if it’s just to say we’re working on it.”
Or: “We say the hard thing directly, and kindly, instead of venting about it to someone else.”
Or: “We recap action items at the end of every meeting so no one’s guessing what happens next.”
That’s what makes a value real. Not just what we say we care about—but how we show up when it counts.
That’s a gift. For everyone.
A Free Worksheet to Get You Started
I created a worksheet to help you do this exact thing. It’s short, clear, and free.
You choose a value, describe what it looks like in action (and when it’s off-track), and define what you, as a leader, will do to reinforce it.
It’s not flashy. It’s not hard.
But it is one of the most powerful alignment tools I use in my coaching practice.
A gentle nudge before you go:
You don’t have to get this perfect. I sure don’t.
I’ve said “I value rest” and also worked through dinner. I’ve preached communication and also ghosted a Slack thread because I didn’t know how to respond. We’re all figuring this out in real time.
But taking the time to define what your values look like on the ground will make everything else—feedback, hiring, accountability, team trust—a little less hard.
You don’t need a new mission statement. You just need your values to walk around with you.
And if you ever want help with that, I’m here.
– Kate