For senior HR and Talent leaders, the single biggest culture risk isn't a lack of declared values—it's the massive, draining gap between the values on the wall and the behaviors on the floor. This misalignment actively undermines performance and erodes employee trust, creating a confusing and exhausting work environment.

In this practical, research-backed session, Michael Kern, Consulting Director at Human Synergistics, leveraged over 40 years of groundbreaking culture research to reveal a hard truth: Your organizational systems and leaders' everyday behaviors, not your mission statement, are the true curriculum for your culture.

Essential Takeaways for Aligning Culture and Performance:

• The Culture Reality Check: Attendees moved beyond surface-level surveys to understand the deep, diagnostic data that reveals the gap between the "Ideal" (what people value for success) and the "Current" (what people actually experience). You can't change what you can't measure with precision.
• Identifying Superheroes and Saboteurs: Michael provided a framework for senior leaders to identify the forces—both people and organizational policies—that are either driving the desired culture ("Superheroes") or actively undermining it ("Saboteurs"). This is the critical step to move from generalized observation to targeted systemic intervention.
• The Three-Part Alignment Strategy: The session detailed the essential alignment needed to bridge the values gap, focusing on:
  1. Leadership Behaviors: Shifting from mere approval of values to actively modeling the desired culture every day.
  2. Organizational Systems: Revising HR processes, recognition programs, and performance management to reward value-aligned actions.
  3. Values: Ensuring the stated values are clear, actionable, and connected to business outcomes.

This keynote was a powerful call to action for leaders ready to stop declaring their values and start living them, creating a truly congruent, high-performing organizational culture that drives measurable results.