Leading from What Matters: How Personal Values Fuel Innovation

What if the greatest source of innovation wasn’t a brainstorming session or a strategic plan—but a deep alignment between people’s personal values and the work they do every day?

You know this already, but it’s worth saying out loud: resilient leadership isn’t just about knowing how to manage people—it’s about understanding what actually matters to them. Not just KPIs, stretch goals, or job titles, but the deeper stuff: values, purpose, what lights them up.

When people get to do work that connects to something real inside them, it changes everything. They bring more energy, more heart, more imagination. And when they feel safe to share what they truly care about, they start bringing ideas to the table that surprise even them. That’s where innovation begins—not in a brainstorm, but in a workplace where people feel like they matter.

Of course, it’s not magic—it takes some intentional setup. You’ve got to be clear about what your team, and your company stand for, and you’ve got to make room for your people to bring their own values to the mix. Not just permission, but a real invitation. It helps to create spaces where folks can talk about what drives them, and where you can co-create roles or projects that let them show up fully.

That doesn’t mean everyone has to think the same or care about the same things—actually, it’s the diversity of values that makes the work richer. When we get this right, we’re not just building better teams—we’re living into what I call A New Human Agreement. One where people come first, leadership is regenerative, and innovation flows naturally from the trust and courage of real collaboration.

 Here are a few things you can do to engage and activate your team from the inside out.

Action Steps for Leaders: Creating Space for Values-Driven Innovation

1. Clarify and Communicate Your Cultural Values

   Ensure your team knows what your organization stands for—not just in mission statements, but in the everyday choices and behaviors that get rewarded.

   Reflection Question: How are our core values actively shaping our decisions, and where are we out of alignment?

   
   

2. Initiate Values-Based Conversations

   Create structured opportunities—1:1s, team reflections, onboarding processes—where employees can share what matters most to them.

   Reflection Question: Do I know what motivates the people I lead beyond their job descriptions?

   
   

3. Make Room for Personal Alignment

   Where possible, co-design roles or projects to align with individual values. Give employees a chance to contribute in ways that are personally meaningful.

   Reflection Question: How might this person’s core values contribute to our shared mission in a way we haven’t seen before?

   
   

4. Foster a Culture of Mutual Contribution

   Encourage cross-pollination of ideas by creating psychologically safe spaces where collaboration isn’t just encouraged, it’s expected.

   Reflection Question: What structures or norms do we need to shift to make collaboration more natural and less performative?

   
   

5. Model Values-Led Leadership

   Be transparent about your own values, how they guide your decisions, and where you're still learning. This vulnerability builds trust and invites others to do the same.

   Reflection Question: Where am I leading from alignment—and where am I not, what am I prepared to do more of, better, or differently to benefit my team members?

   
   

   What’s one way you invite values-based alignment on your team? I’d love to hear how you’re making it real.

   #ResilientLeadership #InnovationCulture #UNLearningMovement #RegenerativeLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment