Making Mission, Vision and Values Daily Practices

Posted in Blog, Innovation, Innovation Culture, Lead Your Team, Strategy, Sustainability by Jo North

Making Mission, Vision and Values Daily Practices

Making your mission, vision and values daily practices in your business is important. Collaborating with your colleagues to define, update and communicate your mission, vision and values (MVV) is just the first step in your entire company starting to use them as a North Star.

If you want them to make a real difference to your business, you’ll need to take focused action to instil them into everyone’s daily practices. A published mission, vision and values that bears little resemblance to your employees’ actual experience of working in the business will ring hollow, be demotivating and project negatively to customers and external stakeholders. Enron is a classic example of the stark disconnect that can occur between a company’s stated values and its real-world actions.

Case Study Example: Enron

Enron’s 2000 Code of Ethics emphasized respect, integrity, communication, and excellence. Despite this, executives engaged in fraudulent accounting practices, concealing billions in debt. This deception led to Enron’s bankruptcy in 2001, erasing over $60 billion in assets and devastating employee pensions. The scandal highlighted the profound gap between Enron’s professed values and its actual conduct.

Case Study Example: Caterpillar

On the other hand, Caterpillar Inc., a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, is a great example of genuine alignment between its mission, vision, values and daily operations.

The company’s purpose, or mission is: “We help our customers build a better, more sustainable world.” It aims to support economic growth through infrastructure and energy development, while providing solutions that support communities and protect the planet.

In practice, Caterpillar integrates sustainability into its products and services, focusing on reducing environmental impact and improving efficiency. For instance, the company has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its products by 30% by 2030. Additionally, Caterpillar emphasizes safety, quality, and integrity in its operations, ensuring that its values are reflected in every aspect of its business.

Action Plan for Making Mission, Vision, and Values Daily Practices in Your Company

Here is an action plan that you can use to accelerate and embed full integration of your MVV into your company’s culture, innovation, decision-making processes and strategies.

1. Lead from the Front

Practice Radical Transparency

Radical transparency means being open and honest about the “why” behind every decision, not just the outcome. It involves sharing the full decision-making process, including data, reasoning, trade-offs, and even uncertainties. By doing this, leaders demonstrate how choices align with mission, vision, and values, increasing trust and accountability.

Transparency doesn’t just mean announcing decisions after they’re made. It’s about bringing people into the process. Explain the rationale behind your choices, including trade-offs and compromises. This helps your team see how values guide even tough decisions. For example, if you prioritize customer-centricity but need to cut a service, share how this choice ultimately supports the broader mission. Invite questions and discussion. It’s better to spend time addressing concerns upfront than dealing with misalignment later. Over time, radical transparency from the leadership team builds a culture where decisions are visibly understood to reflect shared principles.

Emphasize Micro-Actions

Small actions often have a bigger impact than dramatic gestures when it comes to embedding mission, vision and values into daily work. Work with your leaders to make sure that they focus on consistently demonstrating values in their everyday interactions. For example, if collaboration is a core value, they can actively seek input from team members during meetings or highlight examples of teamwork during conversations. Holding doors open, thanking employees for their contributions, and showing respect in small, consistent ways sets the tone for the whole company.

Micro-actions also include making decisions that reflect values, no matter how routine. For instance, choosing suppliers that align with sustainability values or ensuring inclusive language in emails may seem minor, but these decisions build a strong, values-driven culture over time.

By focusing on micro-actions, your leadership team will show that living the organization’s values is part of the fabric of everyday operations. It reinforces authenticity and makes the mission, vision, and values real and visible for everyone.

Embed into Leadership KPIs

To ensure that your mission, vision and values aren’t just aspirational, tie them directly to leadership performance metrics. Start by identifying specific behaviors and outcomes that demonstrate alignment. For example, if your company values sustainability, a leadership KPI could track reductions in resource waste within their department. Similarly, if innovation is a core value, measure how often leaders champion or implement new ideas from their teams.

Incorporate these KPIs into regular performance reviews and make them as critical as financial or operational targets. Use concrete examples to evaluate success—did the leader support a team project that demonstrated collaboration? Did they resolve a customer issue in a way that reinforced trust? Regularly revisiting these KPIs will keep accountability for delivering in line with MVV at the forefront of leadership priorities.

It’s also essential to provide tools and support for your leadership team to succeed. Offer workshops, coaching, or peer mentoring focused on living out the mission, vision and values in practical ways, and on how to embed them into their own teams.

2. Take Targeted Action

Use a Values Audit Framework

A values audit framework is a structured process for examining how well your organization’s daily practices align with its mission, vision, and values. It systematically evaluates key areas like hiring, vendor selection, and customer interactions to ensure these align with your stated principles.

Here’s a shortened case study example from my book, Leading Sustainable Innovation:

Case Study Example: Northumbrian Water

Northumbrian Water Group (NWG)’s sustainability strategy is aligned to their mission, vision and values. They evaluate potential contractors through behavioral assessment centers, ensuring alignment with NWG’s values, such as sustainability and ethical business practices. By doing this, NWG collaborates with partners who not only meet technical criteria but also share their mission and values.

How to Conduct a Values Audit

To conduct a values audit in your organization:

• Start by identifying the areas where values are most critical (e.g., recruitment, partnerships).
• Create measurable criteria for alignment, such as diversity metrics in hiring or sustainability certifications for suppliers.
• Engage cross-functional teams to ensure comprehensive evaluation.
• Use a mix of qualitative and quantitative tools to gather insights, such as employee surveys and external audits.

Make audit findings transparent. Celebrate where your organization excels and address gaps with clear action plans to reinforce trust and build accountability, driving continuous improvement.

Integrate into OKRs

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a goal-setting framework that helps align your company’s efforts while focusing on measurable outcomes.

• Objectives: These are ambitious, clear goals that describe what the organization or team aims to achieve. Objectives should inspire and align with the company’s mission and vision.
• Key Results: These are specific, measurable outcomes that indicate progress toward the objective. Each objective typically has 2–5 key results that are quantifiable and time-bound.

For example:

• Objective: Reduce the organization’s carbon footprint.
  • Key Result 1: Achieve a 20% reduction in energy use within one year.
  • Key Result 2: Implement renewable energy solutions in 50% of facilities by the next quarter.

Integrating mission, vision, and values into OKRs ensures these guiding principles influence every level of the organization. Start with your overarching purpose, breaking it down into specific objectives that resonate with both teams and individuals. For example, if your mission emphasizes environmental sustainability, an organizational OKR might set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 20% within a year.

Each key result tied to these objectives should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound. A team might adopt key results such as sourcing 50% of their materials from sustainable suppliers or completing five new cross-functional sustainability initiatives in the next quarter. At the individual level, employees could have personal OKRs that focus on their contribution, like streamlining processes to cut energy consumption.

To implement this, align team OKRs with company-wide goals. Communicate regularly how individual and team progress contributes to the larger mission and values. Use tools like dashboards to visualize OKR achievements, making alignment visible and motivating. Frequent reviews will support accountability and allow adjustments to meet the changing needs of your business.

By deconstructing your mission, vision, and values into relevant OKRs, you’ll create a framework where every action taken contributes directly to your organization’s higher purpose, aligning all teams and shaping a cohesive, values-driven culture.

Design “Values-Driven” Workflow Systems

Creating values-driven workflow systems means embedding your organization’s mission, vision, and values into the very fabric of daily operations. This involves structuring processes and systems in a way that consistently reinforces core principles at every step.

For example, if collaboration is a core value, workflows can include mandatory cross-functional approvals for key decisions. This ensures diverse perspectives and reinforces the importance of working together. Similarly, if sustainability is a value, procurement workflows can mandate that vendors meet specific environmental standards or certifications.

Values-driven workflows not only align operations with your mission but also make values actionable and measurable. They provide a practical, repeatable structure that reinforces the culture you want to build, ensuring that values guide behavior consistently across your organization.

Practical Steps to Build Values-Driven Workflows

1. Map existing processes Begin by mapping out your current workflows. Identify areas where values could be reinforced, such as decision-making stages, communication protocols, or resource allocation processes.
2. Incorporate decision filters Introduce specific decision filters that align with your values. For example, a customer-centric organization might add a question to approval processes: “How does this action improve the customer experience?”
3. Embed accountability mechanisms Assign responsibility for values adherence within workflows. Use metrics or checkpoints to assess alignment, such as tracking the number of cross-departmental projects or evaluating vendor compliance with sustainability criteria.
4. Use technology for reinforcement Leverage tools like project management software or workflow automation systems to embed values-driven steps. For example, automated prompts can remind teams to evaluate decisions against organizational values before proceeding.
5. Regularly review and optimize Workflow systems should evolve alongside your organization. Conduct regular reviews to ensure processes remain aligned with both values and operational goals. Adjust as needed based on feedback and changing priorities.

Example: Sustainability in Procurement

A company that prioritizes sustainability can design procurement workflows where every purchase request undergoes an environmental impact assessment. This can include criteria like material recyclability, vendor sustainability certifications, and carbon footprint evaluations.

3. Build Advanced Employee Engagement

Leverage Behavioral Science

Leveraging behavioral science involves using proven psychological principles to subtly influence behavior and decision-making, to make sure that they align with organizational values. One of the most effective techniques is the use of nudges—small, seemingly minor prompts or adjustments in the environment that encourage desired actions without mandating them.

Examples of Behavioral Nudges

1. Redesign physical spaces Align the design of physical spaces with organizational values. For instance, if collaboration is a priority, arrange desks in clusters or create open areas to facilitate teamwork. Adding visible reminders, like posters with value statements or team goals, reinforces principles subtly but effectively.
2. Default options Incorporate default settings that promote value-driven behaviors. For example, set printers to double-sided printing to support sustainability or include healthier meal options as defaults in company cafeterias to promote well-being.
3. Feedback loops Use real-time feedback to nudge behavior. Display metrics on screens in common areas, such as energy consumption or progress toward team goals, to encourage accountability and drive alignment with organizational values.
4. Gamify key behaviors Introduce gamification to make value-driven actions engaging. For example, create challenges that reward employees for cross-departmental collaborations or achieving milestones in sustainability initiatives.
5. Subtle language cues Adjust language in communications to promote desired actions. For instance, instead of asking employees to “submit forms,” encourage them to “contribute ideas” for initiatives tied to values.

Create Peer-Led Recognition Programs

Peer-led recognition programs empower employees to highlight and celebrate the contributions of their colleagues who demonstrate organizational values, supporting a culture of appreciation, engagement, and shared accountability.

Steps to Implement Peer-Led Recognition Programs

1. Develop a simple nomination process Create an easy-to-use platform where employees can nominate peers. This could be through an app, an internal portal, or even a suggestion box. Make sure the process is inclusive and accessible to all.
2. Define clear criteria Establish specific, value-based criteria for nominations. For example, nominations could focus on actions that demonstrate collaboration, innovation, or integrity.
3. Encourage storytelling Require nominators to include a brief explanation or story about how the nominee exemplified the value. These stories create a shared narrative that reinforces the organization’s principles.
4. Celebrate publicly Recognize nominees in public forums like team meetings, newsletters, or internal social platforms. Highlighting their actions inspires others and reinforces a culture of values-driven behavior.
5. Offer meaningful rewards Provide rewards that align with organizational values. For example, a sustainability-focused organization might offer eco-friendly gifts or donations to a charity of the recipient’s choice.

Engage Your Employees in Making Mission, Vision and Values Daily Practices

Your mission, vision and values should not be static. They need to adapt to changes within the organization and its external environment. By actively involving employees in the updating process, your MVV are more likely to remain meaningful and actionable. Take a look at my detailed article on how to update your mission, vision and values here.

You’ll also find my article on how to bring your company values to life here useful, too.

4. Innovate Communication Channels

Deploy Interactive Platforms

Use interactive platforms to make values real and relevant in daily work, so that employees can share stories and examples of how they demonstrate the company’s mission, vision and values in real time, creating an ongoing conversation and sense of community.

Simple Ways to Make Platforms Work

1. Keep it intuitive Choose apps or tools that are easy to use. Employees should feel comfortable sharing their stories without complicated steps or training.
2. Use fun features Add features like badges, comments, or likes so people can interact with each other’s stories. For example, someone who demonstrates teamwork could receive a “Team Player” badge that peers can celebrate.
3. Gamify engagement Turn participation into a friendly challenge. Set up leaderboards or offer small rewards for teams or individuals who actively contribute the most inspiring stories.
4. Spotlight stories Share standout examples widely, such as in meetings, newsletters, or on the intranet. Recognizing employees via storyteling motivates others to share their own experiences.
5. Learn from data Regularly review which features drive the most interaction and adapt as needed. If a leaderboard isn’t working, try focusing on spotlighting individual contributors instead.

Implement “Mission Moments”

Start meetings with brief stories of how the mission is influencing work. Rotate storytellers to keep perspectives fresh.

5. Make Mission, Vision and Values Daily Practices: Measure and Communicate Progress

My article here, The ROI of a Strong Mission, Vision, and Values, provides practical guidance and tips on how to measure your progress and success in making your mission, vision, and values daily practices.

6. Create “Value Ambassadors”

Value ambassadors bring your company’s mission, vision, and values to life by championing them in their everyday interactions and inspiring others to do the same. They become advocates for your principles, creating a powerful ripple effect across teams.

How to Build a Strong Value Ambassadors Program

1. Choose natural leaders Identify employees who already embody your MVV. These are the team members others turn to for advice and inspiration. They definitely don’t need to be in management—what matters is their influence and authenticity.
2. Support their growth Provide training to help ambassadors spread your values effectively. Focus on practical skills like leading discussions, resolving conflicts, and finding creative ways to highlight values in action.
3. Clarify their role Make sure ambassadors understand their role. This could involve mentoring colleagues, leading conversations about values during team meetings, or recognizing others who demonstrate these principles.
4. Recognize their efforts Celebrate ambassadors regularly, whether through shout-outs in meetings, spotlights in newsletters, or internal awards. Show the organization appreciates their contributions and understands their importance.
5. Encourage two-way feedback Ambassadors are also a link between leadership and teams. Create opportunities for them to share insights on how values are being lived (or not) and suggest improvements.

7. Overcome Deep-Seated Resistance

Address “Shadow Values”

Unspoken norms often run counter to the stated values of a mission, undermining efforts to build a cohesive culture. Tackling these hidden patterns requires thoughtful observation and intentional action.

Steps to Address Shadow Values

1. Identify contradictory behaviors Observe day-to-day actions and decisions. Look for recurring patterns or practices that contradict your stated values. For instance, if respect is a core principle but meetings frequently include interruptions or dismissive behavior, this disconnect needs attention.
2. Create safe spaces for open dialogue Invite honest feedback through forums, listening sessions, or anonymous channels. Encourage people to share examples of when actions didn’t reflect the values. This can uncover hidden norms that might otherwise go unnoticed.
3. Involve leadership in setting the example Leaders play a crucial role in reshaping norms. They need to demonstrate the behaviors you want to see. For instance, if transparency is a value, leaders should openly share information and admit mistakes.
4. Introduce practical alternatives Replace unspoken norms with clear, value-driven behaviors. For example, if micromanagement is widespread but contradicts a value of trust, implement practices like regular check-ins focused on support rather than control.
5. Reinforce through recognition and training Highlight positive examples of value-driven behavior and provide training to help teams adopt new practices. This could include workshops on collaboration, active listening, or decision-making frameworks rooted in your mission.

8. Use Scenario Planning

Scenario planning workshops are a hands-on way to integrate mission, vision and values into real-world problem-solving. By focusing on hypothetical yet relevant challenges, teams can explore how core principles guide decisions under various circumstances.

Steps to Run Effective Scenario-Planning Workshops

1. Choose meaningful scenarios Select scenarios that reflect actual challenges or risks your team might face. For example, a sustainability-focused team could explore how to respond to supply chain disruptions while upholding environmental commitments.
2. Incorporate mission, vision, and values Begin the workshop by revisiting the MVV. Frame these as the guiding lens through which all decisions will be evaluated during the exercise.
3. Facilitate cross-functional collaboration Bring together participants from different departments or roles. Diverse perspectives help uncover unique solutions and reinforce the importance of collaboration.
4. Encourage open debate Allow participants to discuss and challenge potential approaches. This creates a dynamic environment where ideas are refined and tested against the mission and values.
5. Document outcomes Capture key decisions and the reasoning behind them. Highlight how values influenced the outcomes and share these insights with the broader team.

9. Build Long-Term Cultural Resilience

Preserve”Legacy Stories”

Legacy stories capture the moments where values shaped critical decisions and meaningful outcomes. They highlight the impact of living by principles and serve as powerful teaching tools for newcomers and a source of pride for long-standing team members.

10. Align Succession Planning

Shaping a leadership pipeline that reflects your mission and values is critical for sustaining a purpose-driven culture. It ensures future leaders not only have the technical skills required but also deeply understand and live by the principles that define your business.

Steps to Build a Values-Based Leadership Pipeline

1. Define leadership competencies beyond technical skills Clearly outline the values-based behaviors and decision-making capabilities you expect from future leaders. For example, a company that values sustainability might prioritize candidates who have a track record of driving environmentally conscious initiatives.
2. Integrate values into development programs Include training modules focused on your mission and values in leadership development programs. This could involve workshops on ethical decision-making, storytelling about values in action, or mentoring by senior leaders who exemplify these principles.
3. Use value-based assessments in hiring and promotions Incorporate questions or exercises that evaluate how candidates approach challenges through the lens of your mission, vision and values. Case studies, role-playing, or scenario planning can reveal alignment with the organization’s core principles.
4. Spotlight role models Highlight current leaders who embody the values. Sharing their stories inspires emerging talent and provides clear examples of what success looks like within the organization.
5. Measure impact over time Track how leaders in the pipeline influence culture and decision-making. Use feedback from their teams or specific outcomes to assess how well they bring the mission and values to life.

Making Mission, Vision and Values Daily Practices: Round-Up

A clear mission statement, a vision statement that inspires, and a company’s core values are the foundation of a successful business. These guiding principles influence company culture and shape decisions on a daily basis. The best companies use their organizational culture not only to shape a positive work environment but also as a competitive advantage that stands the test of time.

A Common Goal

For business leaders, the importance of core values lies in their ability to unify the entire organization around a common goal. From the hiring process to strategic planning, weaving a set of core values into every aspect of operations drives success in different ways. For example, incorporating core company values into performance evaluations or customer service practices strengthens the link between daily actions and the organization’s purpose.

Best Practices

Using best practices like focus groups and workshops provides different perspectives on how company core values resonate across teams. Sharing core values examples through annual reports, social media, and onboarding sessions helps new hires develop a deeper understanding of cultural values and how they influence decision-making. This is a powerful way to build trust and engage top talent while bridging any culture gap that might arise.

Make It Meaningful

Mission-driven organizations understand that corporate culture is not static. Whether through the employee handbook, performance evaluations, or leadership training, maintaining a list of values that reflects aspirational values and practical realities creates a more positive environment. Recognizing the hard work of individuals who embody workplace values, and celebrating stories of those who go the extra mile, reinforces the company’s values in meaningful ways.

Beyond the Company

A company’s vision and core values should not only guide internal practices but also impact external relationships with customers and key stakeholders. For example, organizations that focus on customer satisfaction as part of their corporate values statements often see improvements in both customer loyalty and the employee experience. Non-profit organizations, too, can use values to drive a positive impact, creating shared goals that resonate deeply with their teams and the communities they serve.

A North Star for Tough Times

In tough times, cultural values provide the grounding needed to make the right decisions and strengthen bonds across the entire organization. By documenting how values influence major outcomes, such as in annual reports or through the recognition of value-driven leaders, businesses reinforce why core values matter. This creates a deeper connection between personal values and the company’s goals, inspiring both new employees and long-standing team members to achieve great things.

Ultimately, core values are more than a set of principles written in a handbook—they are the foundation for a resilient, mission-driven culture that drives success and creates a lasting legacy.

Next Steps for Making Mission, Vision and Values Daily Practices

Integrating mission, vision, and values into daily practice is complex but rewarding. By using these strategies, you’ll create a resilient, values-driven culture that thrives over the long term. If you’d like help with your business’ MVV, strategy, and implementation, please get in touch here for a complimentary MS Teams or Zoom call with me.

About the Author

Founder and CEO of The Big Bang Partnership Ltd & Idea Time. Innovator. Author. Business Coach. International Keynote Speaker & Facilitator. Director Technology & Transformation at Port of Tyne. Leader of the UK’s Maritime 2050 Innovation Hub. Non-Executive Director.  Associate in Business Innovation and Creativity at University of York and Lancaster University.