"We are not what we say we believe. We are what we do in the dark."
Brene Brown
Psychologist
- Date
Your Mission Statement Is Not Your Values
posted in Marketing
Adam Kreek
Let’s clear something up.
Your mission statement is not your values.
It’s not even close.
A mission statement tells the world what you do.
Your values tell you how you do it—and who you’ll refuse to become while doing it.
Both fit within a bigger framework of your organization's shared philosophy.
If you confuse the two, you risk building a strategy that looks great on paper but fails in practice. And I’ve seen it firsthand—boardrooms full of smart people chasing a mission with tactics that contradict their deeper principles.
A mission without values is a an ocean going vessel with no ballast. It may launch fast, but it’ll tip hard in the first storm.
Values are Your Operating System.
Your Mission? It's the app.
Let’s use a tech metaphor. Your mission is the app you’re running.
But your values? They’re the OS. They determine whether the app even works, how it works, and whether it crashes under load.
In the ViDA course, we define values as:
"Subconscious decision fuel. The deep priorities that influence every choice, every plan, every action—even when we’re not aware of it."
If your mission is to “grow the most trusted tech platform in the industry” but your values reward speed over integrity? You’ll cut corners. You’ll lose trust. You’ll burn the mission down while chasing it.
Values Inform Action.
Mission Statements Inform Direction.
Let’s not throw mission statements under the bus entirely. They’re useful.
A good mission tells your people where you’re headed.
But it won’t tell them how to behave when a decision gets hard.
That’s what values are for.
Let me say this another way:
- Your mission tells me what you’re building.
- Your values tell me what you’ll sacrifice—and what you won’t.
If you haven’t articulated those tradeoffs clearly? You’re going to hit friction. In hiring. In selling. In leading. In culture.
Because the tough calls always test your values, not your mission.
I’ve Seen This Go Sideways (Too Many Times)
One of my coaching clients had a killer mission: “Deliver clean energy to every remote community in Canada.” Great line. Big vision. But their delivery teams were constantly in conflict.
Why?
Because the engineers valued precision and safety above all else.
Meanwhile, the operations lead was rewarded for speed and volume.
Same mission. Opposing values. Constant internal war.
We didn’t need to change the mission—we needed to clarify the values. Once we got clear on which values would rule in the field (and which ones would take a back seat), the friction eased and the team moved.
Your Real Values Live in Behaviour
Here’s the truth most leaders don’t want to hear:
Your values aren’t what you say they are.
Your values inform what your people do when no one’s watching.
If you reward overwork? You value output more than well-being.
If you look the other way on shady sales tactics? You value revenue more than integrity.
If you promote based on loyalty instead of performance? You value harmony over excellence.
These aren’t criticisms. They’re choices. Be aware and be conscious of the values you are using and reinforcing.
But you can’t lead clearly—or recruit effectively—if you’re lying to yourself about them.
How to Get It Right
If you want your mission to mean something, you have to back it with values that drive aligned behaviour.
Here’s how I coach leaders through this:
- Write your mission. Keep it short. Make it real.
- Audit your values. What are the actual drivers of decision-making right now?
- Spot the contradictions. Where are your stated values and operational behaviours misaligned?
- Choose which values rule. Not all values can be top priority. Make the tradeoffs explicit.
- Codify in culture. Hire, fire, promote, reward, and design around those values.
Do this, and you’ll move faster—with less friction, less drama, and more integrity.
Final Thought
A mission statement without values is just marketing copy.
It’ll sound good.
But it won’t build a culture.
It won’t shape behaviour.
And it sure as hell won’t last when things get hard.
If you want to scale strategy that sticks, you need both:
A clear mission—and values with teeth.
So ask yourself today:
Do your values support your mission?
Or do they silently sabotage it?
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Adam Kreek and his team are on a mission to positively impact organizational cultures and leaders who make things happen.
He authored the bestselling business book, The Responsibility Ethic: 12 Strategies Exceptional People Use to Do the Work and Make Success Happen.
Want to increase your leadership achievement? Learn more about Kreek’s coaching here.
Want to book a keynote that leaves a lasting impact? Learn more about Kreek’s live event service here.