Most people understand that successful businesses can adapt to changing circumstances—economic, political, or cultural—and that the status quo and routine unequivocally lead to failure. Far less understood is the existence of the universal, foundational, and timeless principles of organization, which are used to create strategies that foster long-term, sustainable growth. Foremost among these tenets is how a company regards its most powerful and valuable resource: people. 
 

Internal and external forces can influence the organizational changes required for businesses to stay relevant and competitive, including unexpected challenges like the emergence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Many leaders accepted DEI, expecting improved collaboration, productivity, and profitability, but did not fully understand its principles or actual effect on business.

As a result, they tried to implement strategic changes while lacking a clear view of the potential benefits and risks. Consequently, several leaders of Fortune 100 companies quickly adopted DEI, only to abandon it just as quickly when the climate changed. 

Capturing the hearts and minds of employees requires an honest commitment of sincerity, respect, and admiration for human resources, along with a clear mission with measurable goals and objectives. Above all, it demands honesty and fairness in all dealings. A strategic design for achieving long-term success by integrating people, performance, and profit into a values-driven organization is vital.

Business Philosophy

Employees are more motivated to collaborate on innovation initiatives and creative problem-solving when an organization’s mission aligns with their values and goals. Successful teamwork depends on the contributions and ideas of individuals, and everyone benefits when each team member remains committed to learning, improving, and adapting to challenges.

A team’s success is not just a sum of individual efforts but rather a measure of how well members’ contributions complement one another. Cooperation, mutual respect, and a commitment to fairness and justice are crucial. Business success is enhanced by the assets—knowledge, skills, attitudes, and motivations—that individuals choose to cultivate, and these qualities are acknowledged and rewarded by organizations committed to excellence.

People

In business, true diversity recognizes the uniqueness of individuals within an organization. Business leaders can unlock creativity and generate ideas that lead to innovative products and services by developing people through a personalized approach.

Remaining competitive requires companies to evolve and their people to embrace change and adaptation, focusing on skill building and on-the-job development. Daniel Goleman’s work on emotional intelligence, particularly his book, Working with Emotional Intelligence, argues that self-awareness is the cornerstone of effective personal and professional growth. Goleman states that before individuals can manage themselves or build meaningful relationships, they must first understand their internal drivers—what motivates them, what they value, and how they respond to challenges. Leaders who invest in developing their talent as unique individuals unleash a cascade of ideas, innovation, and personal and organizational successes.

Performance

Individual performance is the ultimate market advantage because it leverages a resource that grows when used: the human mind. Employees are motivated and inspired to create more when they see what they can achieve. Each act of creativity generates a cycle of innovation that relies on maximizing an existing team’s capabilities rather than hiring more people, allowing companies to achieve exponential growth in performance without scaling up their workforce. Organizations unlock a wellspring of ingenuity that propels them forward by nurturing employees’ talents and enabling them to assume ownership of their results. 

A performance-focused culture requires patience to ensure everyone’s ideas are heard, understood, and considered on their merits. Treating one another respectfully is paramount, especially when sharing bold or unusual ideas. In fact, the most groundbreaking ideas are often initially perceived as “crazy.” The Microsoft Garage program empowers employees to experiment, push boundaries, and collaborate with other employees to develop new products and services. Google encourages employees to dedicate 20 percent of their work time to passion projects, which has resulted in products such as Gmail, Google News, and AdSense. Fostering a culture of creative thinking and curiosity allows companies to tap into their teams’ full potential, stay competitive, and develop products and services that shape the future, creating a culture of success that will attract and retain the best talent.

Profit

Value anchors the foundation of an organization’s long-term success, with profit as the measure of value. Profits are inextricably linked to performance and people, the two pillars that sustain a business’s financial health. A successful organization resists stagnation and decline by reinvesting its profits in innovation, employee development, and competitive compensation. 

For example, in early 2024, Salesforce launched Career Connect, an AI-powered internal talent marketplace designed to empower employees to shape their career paths, enhance skills, and explore new opportunities within the company. Throughout the three-month pilot, 74 percent of employees actively engaged with the platform, and 39 percent enrolled in courses and training.

Leadership

Leadership is the link that brings people, performance, and profit together to build a values-driven organization. Businesses create and deliver value through the products and services they offer. Value comes from human creativity, and creativity is enabled and nurtured by principled leadership. Effective leadership considers honesty, integrity, and rational decision-making as paramount. 

Leaders ensure that the organization’s mission aligns with these virtues so short-term performance and profit never come at the cost of long-term credibility. John A. Allison, author of The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure and former long-time CEO and Chairman of BB&T, said, “We’re obviously a for-profit company, but we don’t think that it’s good business in the long term to do bad things to your clients, even if you make a profit doing it.” Allison’s commitment to aligning strategy with core values like honesty and integrity helped BB&T successfully navigate a significant economic crisis while maintaining credibility and sustainable growth.

At the heart of the alignment between values and virtues is trust. Building trust requires leaders to connect with their people, understand their goals, and value them as individuals. Genuine concern builds credibility and inspires people to commit to the company’s mission. Leaders need to avoid delegating trust-building strategies since employees look to them for direction and support.

Leaders should be transparent regarding priorities, ensure accountability, and model ethical behavior by demonstrating an alignment between words and actions. Building trust allows leaders to lay the groundwork for values-driven organizations, enabling employees to believe in the company’s mission and feel invested in its success. When employees know leaders care about their success, they are more likely to take risks, share ideas, and realize their full potential. Howard Schultz, former Starbucks CEO, exemplified a strong company culture, referring to employees as “partners” and encouraging them “to bring their whole selves to work, fostering a sense of ownership and pride in their roles.”

The responsibility for shaping and upholding an organizational culture’s governing principles falls to the leaders. At the policy level, this requires actively countering discrimination and biases by fostering a commitment to fairness, justice, and respect for each individual. This approach ensures that all employees have opportunities to develop their talents and advance in their careers. At the strategic level, effective leadership means recognizing and embracing the triad of success: people, performance, and profit. 

Leaders who remember that people are the drivers of profitability, performance is the engine that powers organizational success, and profit is the ultimate measure of the value created by the organization are the ones who see their organizations thrive. These three elements are most effective when aligned with each other and with the organization’s goals and values. Leadership is crucial in bringing these elements together and ensuring that an organization achieves financial success by cultivating a culture of honesty, integrity, and rational decision-making that produces a values-driven business that remains competitive. 

Suggested Reads

• Future-Ready Leadership: The Drive For Agility And Technology Savviness In 2025
• Building A Workforce For The Future: 2025 Trends You Can't Ignore
• The Skills Revolution: Rethinking Talent Management For A Data-Driven Future

Author Bio

Roza S. Rojdev, PsyD, is the Founder and Managing Director of Xecutive Metrix, a leadership development firm. A trained clinical psychologist, Dr. Rojdev has been enhancing individual and organizational performance since 1996. With a focus on transforming culture across public, private, and family-owned enterprises, she helps leaders unlock authentic potential and build high-performing, sustainable teams through intimate coaching and strategic consulting worldwide.  Additional Contributors: Nicolas Krusek and Dennis Laphan.

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