
The Values Gap: What Do You Really Stand For?
From On Brand with Nick Westergaard by Nick Westergaard
May 4, 2026 · 31 min
About this episode
Paul Ingram discusses the importance of aligning espoused values with actual values-in-use for effective leadership and brand storytelling.
We all claim to have values, but do we actually know how to use them when the stakes are high? Paul Ingram, the Kravis Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and author of What Do You Really Stand For?, joins us to dismantle the “corporate poster” approach to values. He shares a research-backed framework for identifying your true North Star and, more importantly, how to turn those abstract ideals into a practical tool for better leadership and more authentic brand storytelling. What You’ll Learn in This Episode - The critical difference between your espoused values and the actual values-in-use that drive your behavior - Why limiting your organizational values to five or fewer is the key to making them operative and memorable - How to navigate the inherent conflict of values without damaging your team's culture or relationships - The specific role of “value stories” as the most credible way to express and build trust around your principles - Practical implementation techniques from Slack emojis to using personification and archetypes like Miles Davis Episode Chapters (00:00) Intro (01:31) The disconnect between posters and practice (03:15) The power of simplicity and…
People in this episode
Host: Nick Westergaard
Guest: Paul Ingram
Topics covered
- values
- leadership
- brand storytelling
- organizational culture
- conflict resolution
Keywords
- values
- leadership
- brand storytelling
- organizational culture
- conflict resolution
- value stories
- empirical evidence
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Columbia Business School
Books & works: What Do You Really Stand For?
More episodes of On Brand with Nick Westergaard
- Designing for Humans Instead of the Machine · June 8, 2026 · 28 min
- The Science (and Secrets) of Building Super Teams · June 1, 2026 · 33 min
- The Story Behind Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day · May 25, 2026 · 32 min
- Kindness as a Competitive Edge · May 18, 2026 · 33 min
- The Intuitive Intelligence Advantage in an AI World · May 11, 2026 · 30 min
- The Myth of the Rational Customer · April 27, 2026 · 29 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the On Brand with Nick Westergaard podcast page.