During my college years, Crosby, Stills & Nash released a hit song about ethics with the line: “You, who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by.” Every person and company can benefit from a “code” that guides their daily behaviors.

Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr. in “In Search of Excellence” put it this way: “Let us suppose that we were asked for one all-purpose bit of advice for management, one truth that we were able to distill from the excellent companies. We might be tempted to reply, ‘figure out your value system.’”

“Figure it out.” Are your values becoming solidly engraved into the company culture?

Every action I take as a leader loudly declares my level of commitment to the values. As a leader, you can gauge the effectiveness of your day by the consistency of your actions with your stated values.

Living our values sets us apart! Values tell the world who we are by the way we act, provide services, and treat one another. Countless companies proudly display their values on banners and websites, but their actual behavior is inconsistent with who they say they are.

Disney and Happiness

Walt Disney was a master at setting Disney productions apart from all the rest and making the customer experience consistent with the values. Disney is in business to provide an intangible product called happiness. Their “Disney Courtesy” concept is based on four key values—safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency. Every performance standard is measured by these deeply held beliefs and they are expected to be incorporated into the lifestyle of every cast member.

Disney cast members are indoctrinated with the philosophy and standards of “guest service.” No cast member begins their role without substantial orientation to Walt Disney’s vision of service. Employees think, walk, talk, and breathe safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency. It is a way of life. This lifestyle creates happiness for guests.

Beliefs Are Values

Values are those closely held beliefs you support with your thoughts, words, feelings, and actions. Your values describe the desired conduct expected of every team member. The “feeling” inside your team reflects how closely the values and behavior are matched.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., has a guard 24 hours a day. Every 30 minutes, 365 days a year, a new soldier reports for duty. When the new guard arrives, he or she receives orders from the one who is leaving. The words are always the same:

“Orders Remain Unchanged.”

Just like those orders, your “code to live by” remains consistent, immovable, non-negotiable, and unchanged. Carefully ponder each phrase inside your values.

I concur with the businessman and writer Max DePree. “A corporation’s values are its life’s blood,” he said. “Without effective communication, actively practiced, without the art of scrutiny, those values will disappear in a sea of trivial memos and impertinent reports.”

Questions to Ponder:

Are our values a “way of life” on our team?

What current attitudes, actions, and performance have I observed that reinforce the values?

What adjustments do I need to make?

Where do I need to raise my expectations of others?