The Root System
Leading from what matters most.
Strong leadership begins below the surface—with the values, beliefs and commitments that shape how we show up when decisions are difficult, pressure is high, or no one is watching.
From Values to Culture
What begins within us becomes visible in the way we lead others - and eventually in the culture we help create.
SELF
What matters most to me?
Where are my values visible in the way I live and lead?
Where is there a gap between what I say matters and what I actually do?
TEAM
What do we stand for together?
How do our values show up in the way we listen, disagree, make decisions and hold one another accountable?
ORGANIZATION
What does our culture actually teach people matters?
Look at what receives time, attention, recognition, promotion and resources—not only what appears in the values statement.
A Story from the Orchard
When a values-driven company couldn't name its values.
Years ago, I was working with Herman Miller’s senior executive team at the Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids.
Herman Miller was widely admired for its commitment to people, design, community and human dignity. I was helping its leaders examine the role of values in leadership, so I asked what seemed like a simple question:
“What are Herman Miller’s values?”
The room grew quiet.
Someone eventually reached for the company’s Blueprint for Community pamphlet. Brian Walker, the CEO, stopped them.
“No,” he said. “Not from the book. From you.”
The problem was not that Herman Miller lacked values. Those values were deeply embedded in its history and culture. But the language was not sufficiently alive in the everyday thinking and behavior of its leaders.
That moment helped begin a serious effort to clarify what became known as Things That Matter.
Executives then held town halls. Leaders examined how values appeared in their calendars, conversations, decisions, recognition practices, promotions and moments of crisis.
The goal was never simply to help people remember a collection of words. It was to turn those words into behavior.
That’s where values become real.
Take a Look at Your Own Roots
Values become useful when they move from words to behavior.
The free Root System worksheet will help you reflect on a moment when you were leading at your best, identify the values beneath that moment, explore the values you may share with others, and choose one practical way to make those values more visible.