Many businesses have carefully crafted value statements with powerful words like “Integrity,” “Excellence,” and “Innovation.” These values look impressive on office walls and company websites, but often they don't translate into everyday decision-making.

When business values remain abstract concepts rather than practical guides, they can't fulfill their purpose. And if your business values aren't actively shaping your choices and actions, they might not be serving your business effectively.

You're Wasting Energy Going in Circles Because You Don't Know What Your Values Look Like in Action

Think about your last difficult business decision. Maybe you were deciding whether to take on a new client, figuring out how to price a service, or considering a new direction for your business.

How did you make that decision? If you're like most business owners I work with, you probably:

• Went back and forth for days (or weeks)
• Made pro/con lists that didn't actually help
• Asked everyone you know for advice
• Obsessed over what competitors are doing
• Eventually made a choice based on what felt right in the moment

Sound familiar? That decision-making process is exhausting, inconsistent, and entirely unsustainable.

When Your Values Aren't Clear, Everything Gets Harder

Without clear, actionable values guiding your business:

• You reinvent the wheel with every decision
• You say yes to opportunities that drain you
• You waste time on work that doesn't align with your vision
• You attract clients who aren't the right fit
• You feel constantly torn between what you “should” do and what feels right

As one of my clients put it: “I feel like I'm in this messy middle. I've had the hustle season of the business, but if I'm taking this more aligned approach to life, how does the business continue to do everything it needs to do?”

Another confessed: “I get very protective of my energy, but I'm not sure how to make decisions that honor that while still growing my business.”

The result? You're mentally exhausted before you even start the real work.

Imagine Business Decisions That Feel Clear and Confident

Picture this instead: You wake up on Monday morning to an email about a potential new project. Instead of spiraling into hours of “should I or shouldn't I?” analysis, you open your values document and run the opportunity through your decision-making framework.

Within 15 minutes, you have clarity. Your response is composed. The decision is made. And you move on with your day, energy intact.

When your values are actionable, you:

• Make consistent decisions that build a coherent business
• Quickly recognize opportunities that aren't right for you
• Confidently explain your choices to clients and team members
• Feel aligned between your personal values and business practices
• Create boundaries that protect what matters most

One client described it as: “I feel like I can breathe. I'm designing my business around my life, not the other way around.”

The Research Shows Values Matter—When They're Active

According to research from Deloitte, companies with a clearly defined purpose are 49% more likely to experience growth of 10% or more over a three-year period. But here's the critical part—values only drive performance when they're actively used in decision-making.

A study by PwC found that 79% of business leaders believe purpose is central to success, yet only 34% use their purpose statement as a guidepost for decision-making. Even more telling, research from the Barrett Values Centre shows that only 27% of employees strongly agree that they believe in their company's values.

The difference between companies where values are just words and those where values guide action is dramatic: businesses with strong alignment between stated values and behaviors report 33% higher productivity, 28% higher employee retention, and up to 19% higher profitability according to Gallup's workplace studies.

Sources: Harvard Business Review: Put Purpose at the Core of Your Strategy, Gallup: How to Create a High-Development Culture, Deloitte Insights: Core Values and Beliefs

Transforming Your Values from Wall Art to Working Tools

So how do you create values that actually work in your day-to-day business? Here's how to get started:

1. Identify your true values (not the ones you think you should have)

Take an inventory of your best business decisions and your worst ones. What patterns emerge? What were you honoring in the good decisions, and what were you compromising in the bad ones?

Ask yourself:

• What matters most to me as a person?
• When have I felt most proud of my business?
• What would I not compromise, even for a lot of money?

2. Define what each value looks like in action

For each core value, create concrete examples of:

• What it looks like when this value is honored
• What it looks like when this value is compromised
• How this value influences pricing decisions
• How this value shapes client selection
• How this value affects your working process

For example, if “creativity” is a value, don't just write that word. Define it: “We prioritize innovative solutions over established formulas, even when innovation takes longer.”

3. Create decision filters based on your values

Turn your values into questions you can ask when making decisions:

• Does this opportunity allow us to [express your value]?
• Will this decision require us to compromise on [your value]?
• Is this aligned with our commitment to [your value]?

One client transformed her vague value of “authenticity” into this practical filter: “Does this allow me to show up as my full self, or would I need to dial aspects of myself back?”

4. Test your values against real scenarios

Before finalizing your values, test them against actual decisions you need to make. Do they provide clear guidance? If not, refine them until they do.

Remember, effective business values aren't about sounding impressive. They're about making your unique approach explicit so you can make consistent decisions without draining your mental energy.

Your Values Are Already Working—The Question Is How

Here's the truth: Your business is already being guided by values. The question is whether they're intentional values that support your vision or unconscious defaults pulling you in directions you don't want to go.

When you clarify what your values look like in action, you'll stop wasting energy going in circles. You'll make decisions with confidence. And you'll build a business that genuinely reflects what matters most to you.

Your values can be your most powerful business tool—but only if you take them off the wall and put them to work.

Ready to create business values that actually guide your decisions? Book a discovery call today to learn how we can transform your values from nice words to powerful decision-making tools.