During a recent client engagement designed to prepare a relatively high-performing team to scale their efforts and impact, one brave employee raised her hand and said, “Every town hall starts with a slide about our values. But in the day-to-day, those words don’t mean much. It’s like they live in a different company than we do.”
Others shared variations on the theme of leaders who routinely talked about values like inclusion, balance and transparency — but whose actions frequently told a different story.
Sound familiar? Unfortunately, their experience is not uncommon. According to a recent Resume Now study, 64% of employees report a mismatch between their company’s promoted values and leadership behaviors.
This pervasive misalignment isn’t just bad optics — it’s bad for people and business, contributing to and exacerbating such things as:
- Cultural cynicism: Values start to feel like corporate wallpaper — decorative, not directional. That breeds eye rolls rather than enthusiasm.
- Erosion of trust: People tune out leaders who say one thing and do another. And once credibility is lost, engagement follows.
- Mental health challenges: Inconsistent messages create cognitive dissonance. Employees don’t know what’s really expected or safe, which leads to greater levels of stress, anxiety and burnout.
- Performance drag: When employees are spending precious energy interpreting behavior instead of focusing on their work, productivity and results suffer.
Mirror vs. megaphone
The problem is that too many leaders operate with a megaphone — broadcasting values, priorities and expectations loudly and often. But employees don’t need more volume; they need authentic alignment. Culture doesn’t come from slogans; it comes from leaders’ consistent, visible behavior.
Leadership isn’t about what you say — it’s about what you show. And culture is shaped more by what’s modeled than what’s messaged. That’s why effective leaders drop the megaphone and pick up a mirror to make sure they’re reflecting the values they want to see in others through their everyday actions. It’s quiet work, with powerful results.
The good news is that it’s one of the most easily fixable challenges in the modern workplace. No budget required. Just awareness, alignment and action. And here are two actions any leader can take immediately to combat the “say-do disconnect.”
1. Choose one value to embody relentlessly.
Pick just one value you’d like to see come to life more consistently on your team — maybe it’s respect, curiosity, inclusion, accountability or something else.
Then get specific and ask yourself, “What does this value look like in a one-on-one? In a high-pressure meeting? While offering feedback?”
- Identify a few visible behaviors that demonstrate it. Here’s an example: if it’s inclusion, invite quieter voices into discussions, rotate meeting leadership and acknowledge diverse perspectives.
- Set up small, repeatable cues — like a Post-it or calendar reminder — to keep the value top of mind.
- Most importantly: say less and live it more. Allow others to observe your commitment. (Because let’s face it. Employees are watching their leaders more carefully than they’re listening to them!)
2. Invite accountability.
Let your team know you’re committed to modeling what matters — and permit them to help you course-correct. This can sound like: “I want to be sure I’m not just talking about [value], but actually demonstrating it. Will you let me know if you see a disconnect?”
But don’t leave it at that. You can go further by:
- Asking for feedback during team retros or 1:1s with questions like, “Have I shown up in a way that aligns with our values this week?”
- Creating a lightweight “values check” pulse (anonymous or open-ended) to gather team input quarterly.
- When misalignment is pointed out, own it openly and thank the person. That vulnerability builds trust.
Practicing what’s preached isn’t hard. It’s human. Fixing leadership incongruence doesn’t require new initiatives, a budget or approvals. It requires the precious yet priceless resources of attention and intention.
When leaders recognize that modeling is the message, they reduce confusion, reinforce culture and promote employee well-being. Because when your actions speak clearly, your words don’t have to. So, say less. Model more.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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