His organization helps clients and their teams improve leadership engagement in order to achieve superior results. He is an expert in the fields of leadership, change, dialogue, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence, and has worked and spoken to such\u00a0companies as\u00a0Cox Communications,\u00a0Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and AbbVie.\u00a0Connect with him on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.\u00a0<\/em>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.1″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”24″ text_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”720px” custom_margin=”0px||0px|” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nEight Questions to Explore if Your Actions Are Aligned with Your Values<\/p>\n
Sometimes our values are values in theory, rather than values in fact. You can tell whether company values are supported and adopted by how people act.<\/p>\n
Rose, a manager in HR, was asked to interview a person for an opening on their team by her director. After concluding the interview, Rose indicated that the candidate would not be a good fit for their company.<\/p>\n
Unhappy with her response, the director asked other team members to interview the same candidate, hoping they would back up his choice. But they didn\u2019t. Everyone agreed: the person wasn\u2019t a good fit.<\/p>\n
The director hired the person anyway.<\/p>\n
Two months later, Rose had documented several performance issues that the director\u2019s hire was committing. She submitted her findings to the director. The director held a meeting with the members of his team that worked directly with the person in question. Team members offered detailed information about the performance of the person in question that corroborated Rose\u2019s documentation.<\/p>\n
Three weeks later, Rose was fired.<\/p>\n
When she asked \u201cwhy,\u201d she was told, \u2018Your performance no longer fits the culture of the company.\u201d Her team members were shocked–then confused. And then, fearful.<\/p>\n
The irony? The company had been trying to create a culture of openness, honesty, and collaboration. But as Rose told me, the outcome of her experience was the opposite: distrust, low motivation, fear, and silence. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Somewhere between\u00a0 the company boardroom vision and the day-to-day, something went off track. People said one thing but did another.<\/p>\n
People notice.<\/p>\n
The result?<\/p>\n
Trust erodes.<\/p>\n
Credibility takes a hit.<\/p>\n
Morale suffers.<\/p>\n
The culture weakens.<\/p>\n
Because at the end of the day, it\u2019s not your mission statement that defines you. It\u2019s your behavior<\/em>.<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re a leader\u2014and you\u2019re brave enough to take a look\u2014here are eight<\/strong> questions to help you explore whether your actions are truly aligned with your stated values.<\/p>\nWhat values does my leadership reflect?<\/h4>\n
It is important to deliberately identify the values that will guide your leadership. Failure to identify specific values increases the likelihood that you will be caught without a clear purpose behind your actions. You might ask yourself, \u201cIf someone shadowed me for a week, what values would they say I actually lead by?\u201d If you have identified a number of values to guide your leadership, you might ask yourself, \u201cOf those values, where do you most often fall short?\u201d<\/p>\n
Do I send mixed signals between what I say and how I act?<\/h4>\n
This is pretty ease to do when work becomes so hectic that work priorities change. Often there is a gap between intention and execution. When that happens, people will not assume that you\u2019re busy or that priorities have changed, they will assume you are insincere. Over time they will come to distrust you, and they will stop listening to you. In alignment with the question above, you might ask yourself, \u201cHave I made commitments to my team that I haven\u2019t followed through on? Or \u201cDo I ask others to do, that I\u2019m unwilling to do myself?\u201d<\/p>\n
What type of culture around communication do my actions create?<\/h4>\n
Ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n
\n- Do I talk about \u201copenness\u201d\u2014but shut down differing views?<\/li>\n
- Do I emphasize \u201cteamwork and collaboration\u201d\u2014but make decisions without involving others?<\/li>\n
- Do I preach \u201caccountability\u201d\u2014but avoid giving constructive feedback when it is warranted?\u201d<\/li>\n
- Do I encourage \u201creceiving feedback\u201d\u2014but never ask others what I can do better?<\/li>\n
- Do I encourage \u201cengagement\u201d\u2014but never recognize others or express appreciation for others\u2019 contributions?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How we communicate with others reflects the values that we have about people and the work they do. Those values are more than something that is placed on the wall or spoken about in meetings. Values are reflected in the way people behave when no one is watching. But everyone is watching, and their observations of your behavior become the cues to what they will do.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#f7f7f4″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”100%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”0px||95px|||” make_fullwidth=”on” custom_width_px=”680px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2-4-scaled-1.jpg” alt=”A group of people in business attire stand in a circle, smiling, as they bring their fists together for a group fist bump, symbolizing teamwork, unity, and strong leadership.” title_text=”A group of people in business attire stand in a circle, smiling, as they bring their fists together for a group fist bump, symbolizing teamwork, unity, and strong leadership.” show_bottom_space=”off” force_fullwidth=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ custom_margin=”-40px|||||” animation=”off” sticky=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#efefe9″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/3-3-scaled-1.jpg” alt=”Three professionals sit at a conference table in a modern office, engaged in conversation. Demonstrating leadership, one man speaks while gesturing with a laptop in front of him, as the others listen and smile.” title_text=”Three professionals sit at a conference table in a modern office, engaged in conversation. Demonstrating leadership, one man speaks while gesturing with a laptop in front of him, as the others listen and smile.” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ custom_margin=”-39px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|||||” animation=”off” sticky=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text disabled_on=”off|off|” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#818178″ text_font_size=”24″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” min_height=”110px” custom_margin=”9.5%|10%||10%||” custom_margin_tablet=”|10%||10%” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”1px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
If your company is built on a culture of values, you must support those values as your own.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”PT Sans|on|||” text_text_color=”#888888″ text_font_size=”12″ text_letter_spacing=”2px” text_line_height=”1.2em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||20%|” custom_margin_tablet=”20px|||” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”||1px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]JOHN STOKER[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”4″ column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”1200px” custom_margin=”-4px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”0||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”1200px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.1″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”20″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” min_height=”1235px” custom_margin=”-74px||0px|||” custom_margin_tablet=”40px||0px|” custom_margin_phone=”-44px||0px|||” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”107px||0px|||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Where do I give myself a pass?<\/h4>\n
Answering this question requires you to specifically identify your values and then review your behavior for alignment. Someitmes, we get caught up justifying our poor behavior rather than objectively assessing where we could improve or what we need to do better.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At other times, we may become so focused on the desired result that we ignore how we get the outcome we want. \u00a0Many companies that I have worked with at improving their company culture would often look the other way when assessing the quality of leadership in their company. They were willing to turn an eye to the poor behavior of their leaders in order to meet a particular deadline. Unfortunately, such behavior served to destroy the very culture change that was to be implemented. Great leadership demands integrity and consistency which starts with confronting one\u2019s own blind spots.<\/p>\n
Am I willing to change and improve?<\/h4>\n
If you are not actually working on aligning your values, you might consider whom you might ask for honest feedback about your leadership behavior. Listening to their feedback will give you a glimpse of how others see you that is different from how you see yourself. You might ask for feedback about how you specifically behave during moments of high stress, conflict, or failure. In times such as these, how you act says more about your leadership than what you say.<\/p>\n
What am I doing, intentionally or not, that might erode others\u2019 trust in me?<\/h4>\n
Trust is the foundation of great leadership. When a leader says one thing and then does another, trust for that individual is called into question. The lack of trust creates doubt in the minds of one\u2019s observers. When that happens, team members will start to question their trust for an individual when things occur that they don\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n
Am I consistent in the demonstration of my values?<\/h4>\n
It is often easier to hold others to a higher standard of accountability than oneself. Why? Because we tend judge ourselves based on our intentions, while others we judge based on their behavior. If you were to ask any of your team members to describe your leadership in three words, what would they say? If you don\u2019t know, ask and see what comes up. Being consistent will help you to build trust with others. For example, if made a mistake in your own performance that you could admit to and apologize for to your team, what would that say about your character and commitment to your values.<\/p>\n
When the pressure is on, do I act with courage in the expression of my values?<\/h4>\n
Sometimes it takes courage to do what is right when you may be disliked for doing the right thing. At other times, it is simpler to choose safety over character. For example, it is so often easier to tell people what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear. At other times when times and priority may squeeze you, do you prioritize results or relationships? Every day there are opportunities to step up or just sit down and keep quiet. It takes courage to live in demonstration of your values.<\/p>\n
If your company is built on a culture of values, you must support those values as your own, and you must live in demonstration of those values. In\u00a0 building a culture of trust, accountability, authenticity, and high performance, you must start with yourself. The real question is not whether you have values. The question is whether you live them<\/em>.<\/p>\nBecause your team is always watching. And they won\u2019t follow what you say\u2014they will follow what you do.<\/p>\n
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If your company is built on a culture of values, you must support those values as your own, and you must live in demonstration of those values. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2956,"featured_media":50068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[2363,8],"class_list":["post-50012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-leader","tag-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
When Values Are Just Words: Are Your Actions Aligned with Your Company\u2019s Culture? - Careers in Government<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If your company is built on a culture of values, you must support those values as your own, and you must live in demonstration of those values.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Values Are Just Words: Are Your Actions Aligned with Your Company\u2019s Culture? - Careers in Government\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If your company is built on a culture of values, you must support those values as your own, and you must live in demonstration of those values.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/gov-talk\/about-gov\/education\/when-values-are-just-words-are-your-actions-aligned-with-your-companys-culture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Careers in Government\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CareersInGovernment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DialogueWORKS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-14T21:33:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-08T01:36:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/JohnS-scaled-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1708\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John Stoker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/plant.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@JohnRStoker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@careersingov\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"John Stoker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.careersingovernment.com\\\/tools\\\/gov-talk\\\/about-gov\\\/education\\\/when-values-are-just-words-are-your-actions-aligned-with-your-companys-culture\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.careersingovernment.com\\\/tools\\\/gov-talk\\\/about-gov\\\/education\\\/when-values-are-just-words-are-your-actions-aligned-with-your-companys-culture\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"John Stoker\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.careersingovernment.com\\\/tools\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/df0f8ac4bc78cf35d65d45f2e4769393\"},\"headline\":\"When Values Are Just Words: Are Your Actions Aligned with Your Company\u2019s Culture?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-14T21:33:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-08T01:36:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.careersingovernment.com\\\/tools\\\/gov-talk\\\/about-gov\\\/education\\\/when-values-are-just-words-are-your-actions-aligned-with-your-companys-culture\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2978,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.careersingovernment.com\\\/tools\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.careersingovernment.com\\\/tools\\\/gov-talk\\\/about-gov\\\/education\\\/when-values-are-just-words-are-your-actions-aligned-with-your-companys-culture\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.careersingovernment.com\\\/tools\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/JohnS-scaled-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"leader\",\"leadership\"],\"articleSection\":[\"education\\\/training\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.careersingovernment.com\\\/tools\\\/gov-talk\\\/about-gov\\\/education\\\/when-values-are-just-words-are-your-actions-aligned-with-your-companys-culture\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.careersingovernment.com\\\/tools\\\/gov-talk\\\/about-gov\\\/education\\\/when-values-are-just-words-are-your-actions-aligned-with-your-companys-culture\\\/\",\"name\":\"When Values Are Just Words: Are Your Actions Aligned with Your Company\u2019s Culture? 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