Friday, October 3rd began with coffee, croissants, and something even warmer—a human connection.
The latest Moticheck community gathering brought together a vibrant mix of people, each carrying deep insights and experiences around one central theme: organizational values. And while the croissants took their time arriving fresh from the oven, no one seemed to mind. The room was already buzzing—there was no need for an icebreaker when the conversation itself felt like home.
Why We Talk About Values
The gathering kicked off with a fundamental question: why do we even talk about values? What followed was a rich, honest exchange. Values, the group agreed, aren’t meant to act as rigid rules or top-down commandments. Instead, they should be shared commitments—a compass pointing everyone in the same direction and offering inspiration rather than limitation.
Someone pointed out that having values written down is only the first step. To truly live them, you need to understand how they connect with people’s real beliefs and behaviors. It’s not enough to name “honesty” as a core value if your team interprets it differently. One story stood out: a situation where two team members clashed—not because of bad intentions, but because they understood “honesty” in opposite ways. That simple word held multiple truths.
This is exactly why many organizations use role-play, storytelling, and workshops to explore values. It’s not about slogans—it’s about shared understanding.
Measuring Meaning, Not Just Metrics
Elina from RIT and Kristiina from Verston shared how they’ve been using the Moticheck platform to bring values to life. It’s not just about gathering feedback—it’s about asking meaningful questions that surface beliefs, reinforce behaviors, and nudge people gently toward a shared culture.
Elina suggested that even how you phrase a question matters. For example, describing a real-life scenario and asking how someone would respond can reveal far more than a simple survey. It’s not only a mirror—it becomes a guide for the kind of culture you want to build.
When Good Intentions Burn Bright—and Burn Out
Perhaps the most memorable part of the morning came from stories that were, frankly, painful. Stories of people burning out—not from neglect, but from passion. “Important projects” often come at a human cost, and while we may fix the processes afterward, we’re still left with tired people who gave too much.
These stories weren’t shared in blame. They were shared in vulnerability—and that made them powerful. They reminded everyone in the room that values must show up not just in mission statements, but in how we treat each other during crunch time.
Simple Ideas with Big Impact
Two practical takeaways sparked real energy in the room:
1. Connect values with personal goals. What if, during annual goal setting, every team member picked just one goal directly tied to the company’s values? It’s a small shift—but one that allows people to internalize values in a way that’s deeply personal.
2. Define values through contrast. Sometimes the clearest way to understand who we want to be is by naming who we don’t want to become. That contrast can help shape authentic, behavior-based definitions of values that stick.
The Moticheck community event proved something essential: that when people are willing to show up fully—coffee in one hand, truth in the other—real culture work can happen. Not just in the pages of HR documents, but in the choices we make, the stories we tell, and the care we show for one another.
And yes – the croissants were worth the wait :-).
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