Growing up in a small town in Southwest Virginia, my father owned a small print shop. This type of business doesn’t exist anymore – with copy machines and online printing, it’s no longer needed. Christiansburg Printing produced booklets, flyers, football programs, and menus. At that time you didn’t just hit “print” or scan a QR code, you planned weeks or at least days ahead and took your order to “The Shop,” where you might have been greeted by Sheri, who knew most of the customers by name.

My parents were quite vocal champions of what we now call “shopping local.” We bought our clothes from Shermans, picked up prescriptions at Thompson Hagen Drug Store, shopped for groceries and fried chicken from Wades, and purchased our bird seed and fishing tackle from Reed Lumber. These weren’t just businesses, they were our neighbors. We were and still are friends with the Shermans and the Reeds.

Supporting local wasn’t just a spending habit. It was a way of living our values. We chose relationships over convenience. We supported our community because we were part of it. I frequently think about how my current values show up through my work. Am I consistent? Does what I say match how I act?

Living your values at work doesn’t require a dramatic stand or a corporate initiative. It’s about the small, everyday decisions that quietly shape culture and build trust.

If you value respect, do you create space for everyone’s voice in a meeting? That might look like inviting input from quieter team members, interrupting interrupters, or simply pausing to ask, “Who haven’t we heard from yet?” Respect isn’t just being polite, it’s recognizing that every perspective holds value.

If you value integrity, are you honest when a project falls short? Do you give credit to the person who contributed significantly, or do you allow more senior staff to take the credit? Do you own the mistakes as readily as the wins? True integrity shows up when accountability feels inconvenient.

If you value community, do you champion collaboration? At work it might mean mentoring a new hire, speaking up for someone’s idea, or stepping in to help even when it’s not technically your job or when you are dang tired and want to go home.

Values are hard to live. And in a leadership role, your actions carry even more weight. People don’t follow what you post on the wall, they follow what you model in the hallway, on the Zoom call, and in the tough conversations.

For my parents, shopping local wasn’t just good business, it was the right thing to do. At work, living your values is the same. It’s often not the easiest route.

So ask yourself: What positions or expectations does your organization have that make it difficult for you to live your values?