Craft Your Life and Culture Around Values
Practical Strategies for Aligning Actions with What Matters Most
Dear Readers,
Today marks the official launch of ValuesCrafting! I’d like to share the story behind why I chose this topic and what it means to me.
Many of you have been with me since the soft launch at the end of June, and I am deeply grateful for your support. Thank you for sticking with me as I explored topics, experimented with the format, and refined the mission of ValuesCrafting along the way.
Your feedback has been essential in shaping the content, and your continued engagement means the world to me.
If you find this newsletter meaningful, I invite you to share it with anyone who might benefit. Your input will continue to play a crucial role in guiding future content, and I look forward to growing this community with you.
Thank you for being part of ValuesCrafting.
Warmly,
SusanCraft Your Life and Culture Around Values
Practical Strategies for Aligning Actions with What Matters Most
Living authentically isn't easy, but it's worth it. If you're reading this post, you're likely already interested in aligning your actions with your core values in life and at work. The good news? ValuesCrafting is here to help you accelerate your progress.
Whether you are an HR leader, manager, helping professional, or individual seeking personal growth, ValuesCrafting offers the insights and strategies you need to live and lead with integrity.
Who Writes ValuesCrafting?
I'm a business owner, HR expert, and values-based management consultant. Throughout my career, I've served hundreds of clients and, for over twenty years, written extensively on leadership, culture, management, and HR.
Through the About.com website and, later, The Balance Careers, my recommendations have contributed to the development of a generation of HR professionals and managers.
Through my consulting work and my values-driven company, TechSmith, which has around 300 employee-owners, I’ve experienced firsthand what it takes to create environments where values, and thus people and customers, thrive.
Practical Insights from Real-World Experience
The insights I share in ValuesCrafting aren't just ideas from textbooks or theory but are based on lessons learned from the field. I've lived through successes and failures, and I want to share what worked and what didn't. See more at SusanHeathfield.com.
One of my formative experiences was working with Michigan Modernization Services, where we helped manufacturers improve operations, systems, and HR practices.
Even with excellent recommendations, change often failed despite our input. Leaders struggled to envision how improvements would look in practice and had difficulty communicating needed changes to employees.
They had trouble recognizing that for employees to change, they had to change their management practices to support and reward those efforts.
Navigating Constant Change
Another obstacle I've observed is the ever-changing nature of business.
Leaders, goals, and priorities shift in response to market demands, new trends, and buzzwords like "employee empowerment or involvement," "Kaizan," or "Six Sigma." Employees become weary of implementing constant change programs promising improvement.
When key employees leave, whether leaders or significant employee influencers, the momentum for change often goes with them, despite efforts to embed values into the culture.
These experiences taught me a valuable lesson: lasting change requires more than recommendations. Coaching, practical models, and sustained follow-up are necessary for people to see values in action. My writing is based on this principle.
The Gap Between Values and Actions
Over the years, I have identified a crucial gap in the information available about values. While it's easy to identify and define core values like empathy or integrity, translating them into meaningful, consistent actions is much more challenging.
Without practical guidance, even people with the best intentions can feel stuck. This is even more demanding for leaders, managers, and helping professionals because they must guide others to demonstrate these values daily.
ValuesCrafting seeks to bridge this gap. Each week, I'll share strategies and real-life examples demonstrating how you can align your actions with your values, whether leading a team, guiding others, or pursuing personal growth.
Clear Actions for Values in Practice
Telling someone to "show more empathy" or "be kind" can feel vague without concrete examples of how those behaviors are practiced.
ValuesCrafting provides practical, actionable guidance to make these values tangible and achievable. Our goal is to equip leaders and helping professionals with tools that say:
"These are the specific actions I'd like you to take."
For example, if you ask someone to be kinder to teammates, we offer practical steps showing kindness in daily interactions.
Why Subscribe to ValuesCrafting?
With countless newsletters available, why choose ValuesCrafting?
Practical Guidance You Can Use Right Away
Each issue offers clear, actionable steps to help you align your actions with your values, whether leading others or improving your relationships.
Real-Life Examples from the Field
My insights are based on decades of experience building cultures, leading teams, and coaching managers. They aren’t just theory—they reflect what works.
Focused on Both Work and Life
Values don't stop at the office door. ValuesCrafting bridges personal growth and professional success, helping you align actions with values in every area of life.
Support for Those Who Guide Others
If you manage or mentor others, ValuesCrafting gives you the tools to guide them clearly and confidently.
Ready to take your values further?
Let’s craft a life and culture that reflect what matters most. Subscribe now to create meaningful actions that drive real, lasting change.
Credibility and Values in Action
In the next issue of ValuesCrafting, I’ll explore how HR leaders, managers, and other individuals can build credibility through aligned actions. This is where values like integrity, competence, and transparency come together to foster trust and influence.
Discover practical steps to ensure your actions reflect your values and strengthen your role as a key decision-maker.
Most Recent and Core Articles
Having Difficult Conversations with People:
Whether the conversation concerns performance, behavior, or personal habits, avoiding these talks creates frustration and disconnection, blocking growth. Discover how to have a difficult conversation successfully.
What Exactly Are Core Values? Core values are traits, integrities, or qualities that are not just worthwhile. They represent an individual or an organization’s highest priorities, deeply held beliefs, and core, fundamental driving forces.
12 Deeply Held Beliefs: Explore the deeply held foundational values, beliefs, and principles that underlie the information and approaches recommended on ValuesCrafting and at SusanHeathfield.com.