Simon Sinek argues companies should write down their values as actionable, verb-based directives (e.g., “always tell the truth”) rather than abstract nouns like “honesty” or “innovation.” He recommends manifestos that describe a company’s vision for the future and concrete behaviors to hold people accountable, giving the example of Barry-Wehmiller’s purpose-focused statement.
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Whether it was the Gettysburg Address or whether it was FDR's for freedom speech, they're all basically pointing back to the Declaration of Independence to remind us and reignite as to why what we're about to do, go to World War II, go to Civil War, is important for us to make that sacrifice because we're upholding these values upon which our company was founded, our country was founded. So absolutely, they should be written down because it makes us more accountable, right? Because somebody can say, we're not doing that. And by the way, please don't write honesty on the wall, because if you have to write honesty on the wall, you have much bigger problems. Right?
And we don't write values should be written on the wall as verbs. They're things we do. Values are things we do. Like, innovation is not a value. Right.
Honesty is not a value. Right? Because they're not actionable. You can't walk into someone's office and say, be more innovative. I don't know what to do. Be more honest. I didn't think I was dishonest. Right? But if we write on the board, always tell the truth.
Look at the problem from a different angle. Give me something to do. Those are values because values have to be actionable. They have to be doable. But we write them as these staid nouns on walls and expect people to live our values. I don't know how to live innovation. I don't know how to live value. You know, provide value.
Is that a calculation?
We spent less on partially hydrogens and high fructose corn syrup in our ingredients. Is that value?
Right. So. But yes, when well conceived, absolutely. They should be written down. I'm a great believer. Look at any great monotheistic and polytheistic religion. There's usually a book.
And that book is used for reference.
So I'm a great believer in writing things down. I think companies should have manifestos that explain the vision they have for the future world in which we will exist, which they will commit themselves to help advance. That has nothing to do with their products or their services. Barry Wehmiller, that makes manufacturing equipment says that we exist to build great people to do extraordinary things. We define success by how we touch the lives of humans, of each other. It's a manufacturing company because it's not about what they make. It's about using their company to build people to do extraordinary things and to value the success and measure the success by how well they do that.
No, company, you don't have a manifesto if you're the only ones who care about it. And if it's based on your product or your service, you're the only ones who care about it. Right? We're here to do the things you don't want to do so that you can do the things you want to do. That's not. That's. Nobody cares. To provide the best possible service and the lowest possible price. Well, no one cares. Like, nobody reads that and goes, I want to work there. You know? But if you say we exist to provide good, clean family fun, to provide people an escape from reality, I want to work at Disney. If you say, I'm here to challenge the status quo and give individuals the power to stand up to Big Brother. If you're that mindset, I want to work for Apple. If you say we're to help, we're here to help people be more productive in their world. I want to work for Microsoft. These are causes that have nothing to do with their companies. They've just used their companies to help advance those causes. Yes, write it down. Yes, write it down. And then make sure that your people hold you accountable to the things you wrote down. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
