Why values are the secret weapon of authentic leaders (especially now)
When markets are shifting weekly and teams are stretched thin, businesses need: clarity. Clarity about direction, decisions, and what truly matters.
That’s why values aren’t a “soft” leadership concept, they’re a hard business advantage. They determine how quickly your team can move when plans change and how resilient your culture is when pressure rises. Values should shape every strategic decision, partnership, and hire.
Values drive results, both short and long term.
These will not be hollow corporate slogans printed on office walls, but real personal, lived values that shape how you show up every day.
The business case for values
Harvard’s Bill George calls values the foundation of authentic leadership. When you know who you are, you make cleaner, faster decisions because your compass is internal, not reactive.
Brené Brown reminds us that values only matter when they’re operationalised — when they guide how you allocate time, money, and attention.
Jim Collins, in Good to Great, found that the most successful companies preserve their core values even as strategy evolves.
And Simon Sinek, in The Infinite Game, reframes leadership itself: finite leaders chase wins; infinite leaders play the long game, guided by purpose and principles that outlast any single quarter.
Research supports this. A meta-analysis of 172 studies (Kristof-Brown et al., 2005) shows that alignment between personal and organisational values correlates strongly with job satisfaction and commitment, and reduces turnover intentions, while also improving performance.
In practice, values alignment improves both the speed and quality of decision-making. When everyone knows what matters, teams move faster and with more trust.
Why this matters right now
Leaders today face constant change: economic volatility, hybrid work, AI disruption, investor pressure etc.
In this environment, values act as both a short-term stabiliser and a long-term differentiator.
Leaders who reconnect with their core values see immediate gains:
- Sharper decision-making
- Less burnout and second-guessing
- Faster alignment across distributed teams
- Greater psychological safety and trust
Research from Amy Edmondson (Harvard) and Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan) shows that when people’s values align with organisational behaviour, motivation and engagement. Teams aligned on vlaues are more innovative and show more initiative (Xanthopoulou et al., 2009), all supporting better performance.
Conversely, values misalignment doesn’t just waste potential, it creates risk. Decades of burnout research show that values conflict between a person and their organisation predicts emotional exhaustion and disengagement (Maslach & Leiter, 1997; Schaufeli et al., 2009).
The takeaway? Values aren’t sentimental; they’re structural. They either fuel energy or drain it.
From buzzwords to behaviour
Most companies have values, but few live them.
Despite billions spent on mission statements:
Only 27 % of employees strongly believe in their company’s values (Gallup)
Only 23 % can apply them day-to-day (Gallup)
Only 28 % see actions aligned with them (United Minds)
Yet authentic alignment increases engagement by 115 % (Leadership IQ)
Authentic leadership starts when values move from concept to behaviour.
Ask yourself:
What do we actually stand for when things get tough?
What behaviour do I want my team to model because they saw it in me?
Where are we out of alignment, and what’s the cost: time, trust, or turnover?
Leaders who clarify and act on their values notice rapid change: clearer delegation, quicker decisions, shorter meetings, stronger accountability.
Values as a compass in uncertainty
Think of your values as your navigation system when the map keeps changing.
You can’t control markets, but you can control the principles that guide your response.
Satya Nadella’s shift at Microsoft reignited innovation and morale within months by centring on empathy and curiosity
Patagonia’s consistent environmental stance builds long-term loyalty and short-term clarity in every decision.
As Sinek says, the infinite game is about staying in the game. Values are how you do that.
Culture follows character
Authenticity scales faster than process.
Sigal Barsade’s research at Wharton shows that leaders’ emotions ripple through teams: emotional contagion. When you’re grounded, others feel safe to be, too.
Values-based leadership builds trust, creativity, and collaboration within weeks.
Culture doesn’t follow strategy; it follows character.
A quick guide to start leveraging values
Identify a moment of pride or frustration, what value was at play?
Define what that value looks like in action.
Audit where you’re out of alignment.
Activate one value for the next week — model it, talk about it, measure it.
If you’d like to explore this further, download my Values to Vision process
Lead for the long term and benefit now.
Markets will change. Strategies will change. But your values once clear and lived are the one leadership asset no one can copy.
As Simon Sinek reminds us:
“Finite leaders chase wins. Infinite leaders build meaning.”
When your values are clear, you lead better, decide faster, and build teams that last.
References
George, B. Authentic Leadership. Harvard Business School Press.
(primary text)Brown, B. Dare to Lead. Random House, 2018.
(primary text)Collins, J. Good to Great. Harper Business, 2001.
(primary text)Sinek, S. The Infinite Game. Portfolio/Penguin, 2019. URL: https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/ Simon Sinek+2PenguinRandomhouse.com+2
Maslach, C. & Leiter, M. P. (1997). The Truth About Burnout. (on values conflicts & burnout)
Kristof‐Brown, A. L., Zimmerman, R. D. & Johnson, E. C. (2005). “Consequences of individuals’ fit at work: A meta‐analysis of person–job, person–organization, person–group, and person–supervisor fit.” Personnel Psychology.
(meta-analysis on values alignment and outcomes)Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E. & Birlijn, M. (2009). “How job and personal resources influence work engagement, personal initiative and innovation.” Work & Stress.
(study linking values alignment → engagement → performance)Edmondson, A. (1999). “Psychological safety and learning behaviour in work teams.” Administrative Science Quarterly.
(on value/behavior alignment, psychological safety)Deci, E. L. & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Self‐Determination Theory: The facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well‐being. American Psychologist.
(theoretical basis for values alignment → motivation/performance)Barsade, S. G. (2002). “The ripple effect: Emotional contagion and its influence on group behaviour.” Administrative Science Quarterly.
(on how authenticity / congruence spreads in organisations)Gallup (2019). Time for a core values audit. URL: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/243434/time-core-values-audit.aspx
(data: 27% of employees strongly believe in their employer’s values)United Minds & Weber Shandwick (2019). “Are your business values aligned with employee values?” URL: https://www.reworked.co/employee-experience/are-your-business-values-aligned-with-employee-values/
(data: 28% of workers believe organisational values/actions align)Leadership IQ (2020). “Why company values are falling short.” URL: https://www.leadershipiq.com/blogs/leadershipiq/why-company-values-are-falling-short
(data: authentic embedded values → 115% more engagement)
