How Should a CEO Build Core Values That Sustain Performance Over the Long Term?
A CEO builds performance-sustaining values by discovering them from the company's best people, defining them so they're specific and lived rather than generic, communicating them through many channels, and personally exemplifying them. Well-defined values are the cornerstone of culture, and culture is what keeps the operating cadence and talent base intact under the pressure of a planning horizon — not a soft HR exercise, but a driver of the execution the strategy depends on.
Why do core values matter to the deal?
Because culture shapes behavior, behavior shapes execution, and execution delivers the strategy. A planning horizon applies constant pressure — debt service, the deal clock, aggressive targets — and a strong, well-defined culture is what lets the team sustain decision velocity and operating cadence under that load rather than fracturing. Poor cultural fit is also one of the most frequent reasons people leave, and talent loss in critical seats stalls the strategic plan. Values that are genuinely lived protect both the cadence and the talent architecture the deal runs on.
How do you discover real values?
You discover authentic values by looking inward, not copying a list. Examine your A-players — the people who do excellent work and lift others — and capture the traits that define them. Look at your most respected leaders and whether they practice what they preach. Talk to your best customers about why they chose and stay with you, which doubles as differentiation insight. Then find the commonalities across top talent, leadership, and customers, mixed with the traits you most want in the company. Starting from your own organization ensures the values are true to your culture, not a generic plaque.
How do you define and choose them?
Align the discovered traits with intrinsic personal values, since people execute with energy when their values match their employer's. Values too big or abstract for people to connect to their daily work are a signal to revise. Choose a set that's specific, relatable, and genuinely reflective of the company at its best — values the team can actually act on under pressure.
How do you make them hold under pressure?
Communicate values through varied media and explain the "why," connecting them to the strategic plan and to what each person gains. Then reward the behaviors the values describe, and lead by example: a CEO who personally exemplifies the values is what ensures the team and new hires actually live them. Under the pressure of a hold, values only sustain performance when they're reinforced and embodied — which is also exactly the kind of healthy, durable culture a buyer credits over the long term.
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