Statement of Values: How to Make Your Company Stand Out

A statement of values is one of the most public declarations a company can make.
It tells the world what you believe, how you operate, and what people can expect when they work with you or buy from you.

And yet… most statements of values sound almost exactly the same.

The Problem with Most Statements of Value

If you’ve read enough of them, you start to see a pattern:

• Integrity
• Innovation
• Excellence
• Teamwork

All good words. All important.
But they don’t make you different, they make you sound like everyone else.

That’s why Marty Neumeier, Author of ZAG!, came up with the “Onliness Statement.” This can be a game-changer:

“Only [your company] [does this unique thing] in [this unique way] for [this unique audience].”

Your statement of values should make that “only” believable.
It’s not just what you value, it’s how you live it in a way that no one else can replicate.

The Alignment Gap

Here’s the danger: when the statement on your website says one thing, but the daily experience inside your company says another, trust erodes…. fast.

A great statement of values works in two directions:

1. Externally – to set expectations for customers, partners, and recruits.
2. Internally – to guide decisions, actions, and culture.

Without the internal alignment, your statement becomes a branding exercise instead of a leadership tool.

From Statement to Standard: The Power of Non-Negotiables

Even when companies craft beautiful, unique statements, they often stop there. They declare values, but they don’t enforce them.

At Get Strategy, Done™, we’ve seen how this shifts when leaders move from core values to non-negotiables.

A non-negotiable isn’t just a belief you put in writing, it’s a standard you refuse to compromise on, even when it costs you.

It’s the difference between:

• Statement: “We value transparency.”
• Non-Negotiable: “We share hard truths as quickly as easy ones — even when it’s uncomfortable.”

3 Questions to Pressure-Test Your Statement of Values

1. Is it specific to your company’s culture, direction, and goals?
2. Does every leader on your team know how to apply this value in a hard decision?
3. Would you walk away from money, a client, or a deal to uphold it?

If the answer is “no” to any of these, your statement might be more aspiration than reality.

Because in the end, a statement of values is just words on a page.
It’s the standards you refuse to negotiate that tell the world who you really are.

Are you ready to Get Strategy, Done™?