“HR Heretics” | How CPOs, CHROs, Founders, and Boards Build High Performing Companies

Navigating the Complexity of Company Values

Jan 30, 2025

Kelli and Nolan dive into the art of crafting authentic company values that resonate throughout an organization. They discuss the critical role of aligning leadership and top performers to ensure values are genuinely reflected. The duo explores the 'Goldilocks approach' to effectively communicate these values, cautioning against misuse. Their collaborative insights reveal the importance of grassroots feedback in redefining values, illustrating how a thoughtful process can drive meaningful cultural change.

14:45

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Quick takeaways

Aligning leadership and top performers around core values is crucial for implementing meaningful cultural change within an organization.

A realistic assessment of current company culture is essential for effectively transforming abstract values into tangible employee behaviors.

Deep dives

The Importance of Leadership Alignment

Effective company values stem from a strong alignment between leadership, particularly the CEO and founder, and the top performers within the organization. If these key groups are not on the same page regarding the company's core values, any attempts to implement or revise these values will likely fall flat. Establishing an overlap between the goals and understandings of these two parties is essential in creating a unified and actionable set of values. This alignment serves as the foundation for genuine cultural change and ensures that the values reflect the true nature of the organization.

Intro

2min

Understanding Company Values: Authenticity and Tangibility

4min

The Goldilocks Approach to Company Values

2min

Crafting Meaningful Company Values Through Collaboration

4min

Collaborative Redefinition of Company Values

3min

Kelli and Nolan examine the art of building authentic company values. Through real-world experiences, they reveal the methodical process of transforming abstract principles into tangible organizational behavior that drives meaningful cultural change.

*Email us your ‘Dear Heretics’ questions: hrheretics@turpentine.co

**For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/

HR Heretics is a podcast from Turpentine.

—Support HR Heretics Sponsor: Metaview is the AI assistant for interviewing. Metaview completely removes the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take notes during interviews—because their AI is designed to take world-class interview notes for you. Team builders at companies like Brex, Hellofresh, and Quora say Metaview has changed the game—see the magic for yourself: https://www.metaview.ai/heretics—

KEEP UP WITH NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN

Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/

Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/

—

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro(00:13) Discussion on Company Values(01:30) Importance of Leadership and Top Performer Alignment(02:19) Company Core Values and Honesty(02:43) Scaling Culture in Founder-Led Companies(03:46) Making the Intangible Tangible(04:23) Revealed vs. Stated Character(04:40) The Benefit of Outsourcing the Process of Developing Company Values(05:54) Company Values Are Always Evolving(06:27) The Goldilocks Approach(07:48) Sponsor: Metaview(09:52) Quick Process to Rough Draft(10:20) Doordash Example(11:56) Pendo's Working Committee and Bottoms Up Approach(13:19) The Importance of Timing(14:25) Wrap

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hrheretics.substack.com

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