Here’s a question for you: Can you, right now, without looking at anything else, write down all of your company’s Core Values? I’ve been posing this question to CEOs, leaders and employees for years, and find very few that can.

Company culture is often misunderstood and misused. Core values are supposed to represent the foundation of a company’s culture, but too often, they become vague concepts that reflect what leaders wish the company was like or what’s popular in other successful businesses. The mistake is thinking that writing these values down, putting them on a website, or mentioning them in meetings will make them real. When CEOs do this, they assume their team will automatically understand and live by these values, expecting this to create teamwork, trust, and a customer-first mentality.

Real culture is deeper than these surface-level gestures. With Metronomics, we focus on core ideologies – values that are not words on a wall, but real actions that are lived out every day by everyone in the company. It’s not what you say, it’s what you do.

Core Values as the Foundation

A strong culture starts with recognizing and reinforcing the behaviors that genuinely drive your team. It means understanding what already works well in your company. 

To truly grasp your company’s culture, observe how your team operates day-to-day. What actions come naturally to them? What principles guide their decisions? These behaviors represent your true core values.

I like to draw an analogy from my family. Before we’d travel, especially before going through airport security, I would kneel down and talk to my kids. I’d say, “Here’s how you need to act: Take everything out and put it in your backpack, take your shoes off, don’t misbehave. Walk through the metal detector one at a time, and then wait for me and mom at the end.” I’d get down to their level and make sure they understood how to behave on this journey. In essence, I was instilling core values. I was teaching them, “This is how we act on this journey,” and I explained why – because it’s about safety, efficiency, and making sure we all reach our destination smoothly. 

This is what core values should be like in a company. If you, as a CEO, are doing your job well, you have a vision, a clear picture of where you want to go. Your core values are the guide for how to act on the journey to get there.

The Role of Leadership in Culture

If core values answer the question, “How do we act”, the role of leadership should answer “Why do we act that way”. The “why” is important – why are we going to these destinations? For example, people who love golf might dream of going to St. Andrews Links because it’s the birthplace of golf, with rich history and tradition. Or they might want to play at Pebble Beach because it’s a premier golf course. It’s a belief in doing something you love and are passionate about.

If a company can develop a strong “why,” a clear core purpose, and equally strong values guiding how to act on the way there, these together create the culture. As the CEO, you are the steward of this culture. But remember, you can’t invent culture just because you want it to exist.

I once worked with a CEO who told me, “One of our core values is accountability.” I found that interesting because, earlier in our conversations, he mentioned that accountability was one of the biggest problems in his company. He admitted, “Yeah, no one’s accountable. It’s a big problem. We want to fix that.” My response was, “How can accountability be a core value if it’s not being displayed?”

The Long-Term Impact of Strong Culture

Core values need to be lived every day. In Metronomics, we use an exercise called “Mission to Mars ” by Jim Collins. The idea is to imagine a Martian observing how we, as humans, behave. What would they see? How would they describe us? This is what core values should be. If someone spent time with your employees, observing them as they work, they should be able to say, “Oh, they acted this way, and this way, and this way.” 

These actions reflect your true core values.

In The CEO Playbook, out of 72 global CEOs, roughly 41% of them said their most important goal is to create predictable and sustainable growth for their company. To achieve lasting success, you need to get this step right. It may not be easy, but it’s worth the effort.

Maintaining this culture takes ongoing attention. As your company grows, your approach to upholding core values should evolve too. Are you regularly checking in on how well your team members are living these values? Are you recognizing and rewarding those who embody them? Revisiting these values with your team ensures they stay relevant and keeps everyone committed to them.

If you’re looking to build stronger core values for your company, reach out to us here.