How Great Leaders Bring Core Values To Life

Feb 25, 2025 4 Min Read
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From Words to Action: How Great Leaders Live Their Core Values

Authentic leaders don’t just talk about values— they live them. It’s easy to list operating principles in an employee handbook or display them on office walls, but if they’re not reflected in daily actions, they’re meaningless.

Don’t Talk About Core Values, Demonstrate Them

Being clear about your values is essential for true self-awareness and a key step in the personal branding process. When leaders are aware of and consistently model their core values, employees notice. That’s when real cultural transformation happens.

Companies that get this right create workplaces where people feel engaged, decision-making is guided by clear principles and long-term strategy stays on track. This is especially important right now as Gallup research revealed that engagement levels in organizations have sunk to a 10-year low.

But what does it actually mean to lead with values? How do you make them part of everyday business decisions instead of something that gets mentioned once a year?

Start with treating values as strategic assets, holding leadership accountable and using values as a foundation for innovation. Here’s how leaders can embed values in their organizations—and create lasting impact.

Read: Values for Life and Leadership

1. Make Values a Strategic Advantage

Values shouldn’t be a nice-to-have. They should shape hiring, influence business strategy and guide daily operations. When leaders see them as a competitive advantage rather than just ideals, they build organizations that attract top talent, foster trust and sustain long-term success.

Take Microsoft under Satya Nadella. When he stepped in as CEO, the company was stuck in outdated ways of thinking. Instead of making small tweaks, he championed a growth mindset—encouraging employees to experiment, collaborate and rethink how they approached problems. This shift didn’t happen because of a corporate memo, it happened because Nadella embodied those values himself. He modeled curiosity, openness and a commitment to learning — and the organization followed.

2. Build Accountability Into Culture

Many companies have beautifully crafted value statements that collapsed because leadership didn’t hold themselves accountable. A list of principles means nothing if they aren’t reinforced at every level—and that starts at the top.

Shawn Cole, president and partner at Cowen Partners, has spent years placing executives who align with the core principles of the organizations they serve. He’s seen the long-term success that comes from leadership teams deeply committed to their mission and values. Throughout his career, Cole has found that, “value-driven leadership isn’t something you can teach in a seminar."

"People need to see it lived out,” he says.

Leaders set the tone. When employees see execs making tough calls that align with stated values, it strengthens trust and credibility. One of the best ways to embed values into a company’s DNA is to tie them to hiring, performance evaluations and leadership development. When employees are recognized —through promotions, shout-outs in meetings, in LinkedIn posts, and company-wide awards—for embodying core values, it sends a powerful message to the entire organization and beyond.

And let’s be clear, accountability also means owning mistakes. If a company preaches transparency but avoids tough conversations, employees notice. A strong values-driven culture isn’t about perfection, it’s about acknowledging missteps, adjusting course and staying committed.

Read: Is Your Culture Hindering Progress?

3. Innovate Without Compromising Values

Businesses evolve, but core values should stay constant. Growth and change are inevitable, but when companies abandon their principles in pursuit of short-term gains, they risk losing what made them successful in the first place.

Cole has seen this challenge play out time and again. “The biggest struggle for many leaders is short-term thinking,” he says. “There’s constant pressure to deliver quick results, but the organizations that thrive long-term are the ones that stick to their values even when it’s hard and adopt an infinite mindset.”

Nike provides a compelling case study. Under Phil Knight and later Mark Parker, the company operated with an infinite mindset—focusing on innovation, performance and creativity. Their leadership nurtured a culture that prioritized long-term growth over quick wins. However, after Parker’s retirement, some industry insiders noted a shift toward more transactional decision-making, raising concerns that Nike’s foundational values were becoming less central.

Leadership transitions reveal whether values are truly embedded in an organization or dependent on a few key individuals. Companies that stay true to their principles, even through change, are the ones that remain strong.

4. Create Values Based Leadership that Lasts

We’ve all worked for executives who see values as a box to check—something to reference in speeches but not integrate into daily decisions. Those leaders rarely build lasting legacies. The ones who do make an impact are those who exude their values in every aspect of their work.

Great leaders don’t just declare a vision—they embody it. They make decisions through the lens of their company’s values, reinforcing a culture that remains intact even after leadership changes.

Live Core Values To Inspire Trust Among All Stakeholders

Long-term success isn’t accidental. It comes from a clear sense of purpose, a commitment to core values, and leaders who stay true to those principles—even in the face of challenges. When values guide hiring, strategy, and culture, they create organizations that inspire employees, build trust with customers, and sustain success long after today’s leaders are gone.

This article was originally published in Forbes.

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William Arruda is the bestselling author of the definitive books on personal branding: Digital YOU, Career Distinction and Ditch. Dare. Do! And he’s the creative energy behind Reach Personal Branding and CareerBlast.TV – two groundbreaking organizations committed to expanding the visibility, availability, and value of personal branding across the globe. For more information on Personal Branding , please visit williamarruda.com. 

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