You’ve got a slide with your company’s values. Maybe they’re on posters. Maybe they’re in your onboarding deck.

Words like: ✔️ Quality ✔️ Teamwork ✔️ Innovation ✔️ Curiosity

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: If your team can’t describe what those values look like on a Tuesday afternoon… they’re just wallpaper.

Why Words Aren’t Enough?

Every company has them.

A list of values printed in pitch decks, posted on walls, mentioned in onboarding sessions.

Words like: ✔️ Integrity ✔️ Innovation ✔️ Quality ✔️ Teamwork ✔️ Curiosity

And yet, in coaching rooms and team sessions, I ask:

“What does ‘quality’ actually mean in your day-to-day?”

Silence. Shrugs. Then someone says: “Well… it depends.”

That’s the problem.

If You Don’t Define It, They’ll Default

Values without behaviors are just marketing.

When you say “we value teamwork,” what does that mean in practice?

Does it mean:

• We help teammates even if it’s not in our job description?
• We never speak negatively about another department in front of clients?
• We challenge ideas in meetings, but back the team’s decision afterward?

Unless you spell it out, people will default to their own interpretation, based on past experiences, former workplaces, or even cultural assumptions.

And then you get inconsistency. Misalignment. And eventually… disengagement.

Because people aren’t ignoring the values. They’re confused by them.

What Happens When You Don’t Translate the Values

A few months ago, before the Passion for Projects conference, I ran a pre-event session with the PMI Sweden Chapter volunteer team.

PMI Sweden already had great values – like Always Curious and Always Welcoming – but they hadn’t been translated into specific actions for the event.

So here’s what we did.

First, I projected the values on the screen and asked each person:

“Which of these values resonates most with you personally?”

Then I asked them to write down one practical way they would live out that value over the next two days of the event.

We didn’t keep it theoretical. We made it real:

🟢 Someone who chose Always Curious said:

“If someone complains about something, I’ll stay curious instead of defensive. I’ll ask questions instead of jumping to conclusions.”

🟢 Someone who chose Always Welcoming said:

“Even if I’m not on the check-in team, I’ll personally greet every first-time attendee with a smile and make them feel like they belong.”

Then we had them share their commitments in pairs – and finally, we invited everyone to write their name and value on a Post-it and place it on a board titled:

🟡 “This is how I’ll live our values during the conference.”

We didn’t need a long policy. We created clarity and ownership. Each person walked into the event already knowing how to show up.

They weren’t just helping out. They were representing the brand.

That’s what happens when you translate values into lived behavior.

Your People Want to Contribute, But They Need a Picture to Work With

Engagement doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

When people know what “good” looks like – what “ownership,” “initiative,” or “curiosity” actually look like – they step into it more confidently.

But when it’s abstract, they hold back. Not because they don’t care. But because the lines are blurry.

Clarity invites contribution. Ambiguity breeds hesitation.

The Real Reason People Don’t Live the Values

It’s not that they’re ignoring them. It’s that no one’s translated them.

Take “quality” as an example.

In one organization, “quality” might mean precision and error-free execution. In another, it might mean fast iteration and customer feedback loops.

Which one is it?

Have you defined it?

If not, how can you expect people to act on it?

Leaders Set the Bar. And the Example

Even if you run a session like the one I described above, it won’t stick unless leaders live it consistently.

That means:

• Referring to values in meetings, not just as concepts, but as part of how decisions are made.
• Reinforcing and celebrating behaviors that match the values.
• Gently correcting misalignment by referring back to the values, not in a punitive way, but as a standard.

Because values aren’t just what we write. They’re what we tolerate.

Coaching Prompt for Leaders

Ask yourself:

• When was the last time I explained what one of our values looks like in behavior?
• Do my team members know what’s expected of them beyond tasks and KPIs?
• Could a new hire observe our team and guess our values?

If not, it’s time to translate.

Try This Today

Pick one core value.

Then ask your team:

“What does this look like in our day-to-day interactions – with each other, and with clients?”

Let them reflect. Let them share. Then make it visible.

What’s defined gets modeled. What’s modeled gets repeated. And what gets repeated? Becomes culture.

Florin

PS: Want to dive deeper into the topic? Join me for the next LIVE Free-to-Attend training session:

🧩 The Engagement Gap – When people show up, but don’t lean in

🗓️ Tuesday, July 8 | 08:00–08:45 CET

📍 Zoom

👉 Register here