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Leadership Values Alignment

Values guide behaviors. Behaviors produce results.

Discover the five values that really drive how you lead. Then see how your leadership team’s values line up with your company’s, so you can coach to what matters, not just to the numbers.

Take the free assessment
Analysis for your team
15–20 minutes 38 value cards Your Top 5, emailed to you

The values-to-results leadership model

Don’t coach to numbers.

Align values. Coach behaviors. & Succeed.

1

Align values

Find the shared beliefs that connect people to the business.

Individual values

What matters to me

Beliefs Strengths Personal purpose

Company values

What matters to us

Mission Standards Shared purpose

Shared values. Shared commitment.Make the connection meaningful, visible, and actionable.
2

Coach behaviors

Bring shared values to life through The 5 Rules.

Rule 1

Do Our Jobs

Own the work.
Follow through.

Rule 2

Be Kind

Listen well.
Show respect.

Rule 3

No Surprises

Speak up early.
Keep others informed.

Rule 4

No Drama

Address issues directly.
Focus on solutions.

Rule 5

Protect the Brand

Honor the promise.
Earn trust every day.

  • Set expectations
  • Observe
  • Give feedback
  • Recognize progress
3

Succeed

Work toward the best possible business results.

StrongerTeams
LoyalCustomers
SalesGrowth
HealthierMargins

Use numbers to measure progress. Coach the behaviors that drive it.

We are a people business.
“We value all people and respect what they value! If it’s important to them, it’s important to me as their leader.”Steve Black, author of The 5 Rules

The assessment

From 38 values to the five that are really you.

There are no right or wrong answers. The only goal is honesty: answer as you are, not as you wish you were.

1

Sort the cards

Drag all 38 value cards into Definitely Me, Mostly Me or Not Me. Go with your gut.

Every card has a place
2

Pick your Top 10

From your Definitely and Mostly cards, choose the ten that describe you best.

Your Top 10
3

Narrow to 5

The hardest step. Use the pressure, decision and legacy tests to choose your five.

Your Top 5 Core Values
4

Get your results

Enter your name and email and your personal Core Leadership Values report is emailed to you.

Yours to keep and share
Best on a laptop or desktop Progress saves in your browser Retake it once a year

Knowing your values is the starting point.

Five ways to put your core values to work once you know them.

1

Post them

Keep your five where you’ll see them: desk, phone or office door.

2

Share them

Tell your team your five values and what each looks like in action. Ask them to tell you when you’re living them, and when you’re not.

3

Filter decisions

Before a big call, ask: “Does this line up with my core values?”

4

Look for gaps

A value on your list that rarely shows up in your week is your growth opportunity.

5

Talk it through

Your values are a great foundation for a development plan with your coach or leader.

Start the assessment

For leadership teams

Are your company values the values your leaders hold?

With a company code, your whole leadership team takes the assessment. Steve then builds a values gap analysis and walks your team through it.

  • The headline numbersLeaders surveyed, values captured, and how strongly your top value is held.
  • Your team’s shared Top 5The values your leaders hold most in common.
  • Company vs. leaders’ valuesWhere your stated values line up with your people, and where the gaps are.
  • What each value meansA close look at each top value and what it says about your culture.
  • Group comparisonsExecutive team vs. store managers, side by side.
  • Full ranked valuesEvery value your leaders chose, ranked for each group.
  • Change over timeRe-survey months later and see which values rise or fade.
  • Key findings and a debriefSteve walks your team through it and connects it to The 5 Rules.
Request a code & quote
Values gap analysis

Leadership team vs. company values

Sample report
Executive teamStore managers
Accountable
Company value
Integrity
Company value
Honesty
Family
Teamwork
Company value
Customer Satisfaction
Company value
Strong alignmentAccountable and Integrity are company values and in both groups’ Top 5.
Gap to coachCustomer Satisfaction is a company value, but few leaders chose it.

Illustrative example. Every report is built from your own team’s results.

What a team’s values can tell you. Patterns Steve has drawn out of a leadership team’s results:

Accountable

Ownership culture

A team that follows through, moves with urgency and earns trust.

Integrity + Honesty

Ethical foundation

Problems surface early, and trust is built through action, not policy.

Family

Relational leadership

Leaders who invest in colleagues and take a long-term view.

Fairness

Equity at every level

Fair decisions and recognition, and a place people want to perform.

Why values matter in a leader

Skills get you hired. Values decide what you do with them.

Good skills Poor skills Good values
Good skills + good values

Leaders raise up their people

Poor skills + good values

Leaders can’t help their people

Poor values
Good skills + poor values

Leaders manipulate their people

Poor skills + poor values

Leaders drag down their people

Adapted from John C. Maxwell’s leadership teaching, used in Steve’s values sessions.

How it works

Four steps to a team that leads on purpose.

Works on its own, or as the opening exercise of a Leadership Academy, workshop or keynote.

01

Get a code & quote

Contact Steve for a company code and a quote for your team’s analysis.

02

Your leaders take it

Each leader spends 15–20 minutes and gets their own Core Values report.

03

Steve builds the analysis

Your company values compared with your team’s, group by group.

04

Debrief and plan

A session with your team to close the gaps and put The 5 Rules to work.

Yes. Anyone can take it and get their personal Core Leadership Values report. For a team gap analysis and debrief, contact Steve for a company code and a quote.

A code Steve gives your organization or workshop group. Leaders enter it on the last step, so their results can be grouped and compared in your team’s analysis.

About 15–20 minutes. Your first reaction is usually the most honest one, so don’t overthink it. For workshops, plan about 20 minutes for the exercise and 15–30 minutes for a debrief.

Yes. Give the group a company code, allow about 20 minutes for the exercise and 15–30 minutes to debrief. Good debrief questions: Which value was hardest to leave out of your Top 5? Which value would your team be surprised to see on your list? Where does one of your values show up on the sales floor, in meetings or with customers? Then pair people up to share their Top 5 and a story about living one of them.

Absolutely. The 38 values describe leaders in any organization, and the same values-to-behaviors approach applies everywhere.

Let's talk

See how your team’s values line up.

Contact Steve for a company code and a quote, and he’ll put together how your company values and your team’s individual values are aligned.

Request a code & quote
Take the assessment