Why Your Business Values Need to be Articulated.
Unfortunately, mind-reading isn’t a real skill people have. Most leaders assume their business values are obvious, especially if their team is operating at an acceptable level. They just assume their people get it (without saying anything). But if you can't articulate your values clearly, your employees are left playing a frustrating and confusing guessing game. Even the best teams aren’t actually mind readers — they just have exceptional clarity.
The Problems with Assumptions
Every single day, your employees make dozens of decisions. Should they prioritize speed or thoroughness? Please the client or protect the team? Innovate or optimize? Without clear values, they hesitate, second-guess themselves, and often make choices that feel misaligned with leadership's unstated expectations. This ambiguity doesn't just slow things down — it's genuinely stressful and erodes confidence over time.
Picture your executive team leaving a board meeting where growth, sustainability, and profitability were all emphasized. Without clarity on which value overrides the others when push comes to shove, everyone interprets differently, and chaos ensues.
Emphasize Clarity
When you articulate your values explicitly, something magical happens. Values become a decision-making compass that guides autonomous choices. Your people suddenly know what "good" looks like in your organization. When trade-offs arise (and they always do), there's no guesswork about priorities. Employees can act decisively without constantly seeking approval.
Imagine that same executive team, but now the CEO has clearly stated: "Sustainable growth beats high-risk promises, always." Suddenly, everyone's aligned and empowered to make the right calls.
Put it into Action
The kindest thing you can do as a leader is be clear. So here's your challenge: Can every person in your organization articulate your top three to five values right now? And can they list them in order? If not, it's time to make those values explicit, visible, and part of your regular conversation.
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