Useful journalism to understand, manage and grow a business.
SearchValues only truly provide guidance when they help people make decisions and work. This guide proposes translating them into specific behaviors, incorporating them into team routines, and reviewing whether the company’s practices are consistent with what it says.
An SME’s values may be written on a website, in a handbook, or in a presentation and still have little influence on day-to-day work. To serve as a guide, the team needs to recognize which actions represent each value, when to put them into practice, and how the company responds to them.
Culture is built not only through statements: people also learn by observing what is prioritized, what is allowed, what is corrected, and what is recognized. That is why translating values into observable behaviors does not mean adding more slogans, but connecting them to the organization’s actual decisions and routines.
Start by reviewing the values the company already states. If there are too many, or they are too abstract, select the ones that best describe the way of working the company wants to promote. For each one, agree on a brief, practical explanation: what does this value mean in this company and in its day-to-day tasks?
It is a good idea to involve the team in defining them. People who serve customers, coordinate operations, or solve problems across different functions can point out specific situations that management may not see. Participation also helps determine whether people understand the chosen words in a similar way.
A value becomes more useful when expressed as specific behaviors. Rather than leaving it as a word such as “trust,” describe what people do when they put it into practice and which behaviors do not represent it.
For example, an SME could translate collaboration into actions such as sharing the information needed to complete a task in a timely manner, asking for help before a roadblock affects other people, and documenting relevant agreements. These are illustrative examples: each company should adapt them to its activities and team responsibilities.
When writing the behaviors, try to make them:
It is also useful to clarify the limits. “Act quickly,” for example, should not automatically be interpreted as skipping necessary checks. The practical meaning of each value should help resolve situations, not create slogans that compete with one another.
The translation is not complete if the behaviors only appear in a document. Identify the moments when the team makes decisions, coordinates work, and resolves difficulties, and check where values can be applied.
An SME can incorporate them into existing routines: coordination meetings, check-in conversations, onboarding new people, reviewing mistakes, or setting priorities. Instead of creating a parallel process, it is better to ask simple questions connected to the work: what information is missing for someone else to move forward? Who needs to be involved in this decision? Which agreement do we need to make clear?
Leadership decisions also communicate what each value means. If autonomy is expected, but every decision is reviewed without explaining how much discretion each person has, the team receives conflicting signals. Clarifying responsibilities and limits can make the value easier to put into practice.
Everyday recognition shows which behaviors the company appreciates. This can mean pointing out a specific action and explaining why it was useful, rather than relying only on general praise. This makes the connection between the value and the work performed visible.
Consistency also requires responding to behaviors that contradict the values. Continually ignoring them can normalize them, while correcting them using clear criteria makes it possible to point out what needs to change. The response should address the situation and the applicable internal rules, without confusing a one-off mistake with an overall judgment of the person.
It is also a good idea to review what the company recognizes in practice. If collaboration is declared important but only individual achievements are made visible, the team may understand that shared contributions count for less. Actual culture is formed through these repeated signals, not solely through stated intentions.
A company’s practices can come into tension with its values without anyone having deliberately decided this. To spot it, observe specific processes and situations: how priorities are allocated, what happens when a problem is reported, who takes part in decisions, and which behaviors end up receiving attention.
A useful review combines management’s perspective with the team’s experience. Examples can be gathered of behaviors that make work easier and situations in which it is difficult to act in accordance with the values. The purpose is not to find a perfect phrase, but to identify obstacles and correct routines that send messages different from the ones the company states.
As a guide, the company can keep a brief record for each value describing its practical meaning, two or three observable behaviors, situations in which to apply them, and examples of practices that could contradict it. Reviewing these records when tasks, the team, or priorities change helps keep them useful.
Values can provide a shared basis for coordinating and making decisions, but they do not replace clearly defined responsibilities, necessary procedures, or dialogue when situations are complex. Their application may also vary depending on the task: the same behavior is not always appropriate in every context.
The practical test is simple: can someone on the team describe what they would do to represent that value in a real situation? If the answer is vague, the behavior should be made more specific. And if the behavior is clear but the company makes it difficult or rewards the opposite, the next step is not to repeat the value: it is to review the practices around it.
A practical checklist for agreeing on availability, response times, channels, meetings, and coordination between office-based and remote work, and for reviewing agreements without turning them into rigid rules.
Read story
Urgency, impact, the team’s experience, and the commitment required can help determine when to set the course, consult, or delegate. No single style works for every situation.
Read story
Delegating does not mean disengaging or approving every step. A small business can distribute decisions clearly by assigning owners, defining limits on autonomy, and reviewing results against agreed criteria.
Read story