Culture Secrets
Culture is what causes things to happen inside an organization - both good and bad. It's the heart and guts of a company and it is what determines is they are successful or not. Join interntional best-selling author, speaker and culture expert Chellie Phillips as she delves into what makes people-centered cultures in the workplace unique. She packs each episode with ideas, strategies and real-world learning to help you build workplaces where both employees and companies thrive.
Culture Secrets
Episode 20: Beyond DEI: Building Cultures that V.A.L.U.E. Everyone
DEI is facing growing scrutiny—and not just in boardrooms or courtrooms. Many companies are realizing that traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives often fall short of creating real culture change.
In this episode of Culture Secrets, host Chellie Phillips introduces a bold alternative: the V.A.L.U.E. Culture Framework.
Instead of chasing compliance or one-size-fits-all strategies, V.A.L.U.E. invites leaders to build workplace cultures grounded in Vision, Accountability, Leadership, Uniqueness, and Engagement. You'll hear how this people-first approach fosters real belonging, boosts performance, and drives trust from the inside out.
🔑 What we’ll explore:
- Why DEI policies are falling short in today’s environment
- How the V.A.L.U.E. formula redefines inclusion and respect
- Real-life examples of workplaces that thrive through culture—not checklists
- How to start embedding V.A.L.U.E. into your team’s everyday behavior
If you're ready to move from performative to purposeful, this episode is your roadmap.
🎧 Listen now and discover how to build a workplace where everyone feels seen, supported, and inspired to succeed.
Thanks for listening. Grab the book the podcast is based on at https://mybook.to/culturesecrets . Check out my website www.chelliephillips.com for more great content. Follow me on LinkedIn.
if workplace culture is your jam you're in the right place check out this episode of culture secrets the podcast dedicated to creating workplaces where both employees and the companies thrive so Welcome to this season of Culture Secrets. I'm Chelly Phillips, your guide to building thriving, people-first workplace cultures. If you're here, it's because you know culture isn't just a buzzword. It's the heartbeat of your organization. And this season, we're going deeper than ever before. Today, we're tackling a shift that's been brewing for a while. More and more companies are moving away from traditional DEI initiatives. The reason? Many of these programs have been reduced to a check-the-box exercise. Compliance-driven, impersonal, and often disconnected from the real people in an organization. But what if I told you there was a better way, one that doesn't just include people, but makes them feel valued every single day? That's what we'll explore today as we introduce a workplace culture model that isn't about compliance. It's about connection. Welcome to the world of a value culture. Let's be honest. Many traditional diversity initiatives fall short. Why? Because they focus on numbers, policies, and quotas instead of fostering a culture where every individual feel seen, heard, or valued. And here's the hard truth. The businesses that rely on these surface-level efforts often struggle with retention, engagement, and innovation. In contrast, companies with strong workplace cultures don't just survive, they thrive. So how do you create that kind of culture? You move beyond compliance and into commitment. And that's where the Value Culture Framework comes in. Value is more than an acronym. It's a roadmap to a workplace wherever employee thrives. So let's break it down. V is vision. A strong shared vision creates alignment and purpose. It's about more than mission statements. It's about creating a workplace where every team member knows how they contribute to the bigger picture. A is accountability. This isn't about blame. It's about ownership. When people are accountable, they trust leadership, their colleagues, and the organization as a whole. L is leadership. Leaders set the tone. When they lead with With empathy and integrity, they create a culture where respect and inclusion are the norm, not the exception. You is uniqueness. A true culture of inclusion goes beyond representation. It celebrates the individual strengths and differences each person brings to the table. And finally, there's E, engagement. When people are engaged, they're invested. They bring their ideas, their energy, and their best selves to work. So let's look at a few real-world examples of a value culture. Let's see how some companies have been putting it into action. In Culture Secrets, I share the story of a mid-sized tech company that redefined its vision to emphasize innovation and community impact. The result, a stronger sense of purpose and collaboration across diverse teams. Or take a manufacturing firm that built accountability into their culture. With clear, transparent standards, instead of a top-down mandate, they created an environment where employees felt empowered to speak up and drive change. And then there's the retail chains that invested in emotional intelligence training for their leaders. It wasn't a one-time workshop. It became a core part of how managers operated daily, leading to increased trust and morale. These aren't just initiatives. They're culture shifts, and they work. So how do you make these shifts in your own company Here's five-step action plan that you can start today. One, communicate vision clearly and often. Don't let your company vision be a framed poster in a So here's the bottom line. DEI shouldn't be a corporate obligation. Inclusion should be the natural outcome of a thriving workplace culture, and a value-driven culture is the key to making that happen. If you're ready to go beyond the check Thank you. Thank you.
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