Values, goals and loyalty

Bronislav Klučka on Apr 01, 2025

Why am I mixing these things together?

Because of statements like, "You should be loyal to the company, share its goals, and align your values with its values." That's not going to happen. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying, "I'm not going to do that." I'm saying it won't happen. It can't happen. It's not possible.

Loyalty

Can you be loyal to a legal entity? After all, that's what a corporation is - nothing more than a legal entity. Have you ever been in a situation where people left a company because it changed? People don't leave because the company changed; they leave because the company's culture changed. The culture is created by the people in the company, not the company itself.

A company can change. It can be renamed, bought, and incorporated into a new company. The people can stay because the culture does not change. However, if the company stays the same but the culture changes, people can leave.

People are not loyal to the company; they are loyal to the people in the company and enjoy the culture they create, mostly management.

Why are people loyal? I believe loyalty is about belonging, sharing a common goal, and believing that others will support you in achieving that goal, as you would support them.

Loyalty is a two-way street. If you're a company owner or CEO who treats people as an expense, they will treat the company as a source of income. Forget loyalty. If you are a manager who treats subordinates as people who need to listen to you, they will treat you as someone who orders them around. Forget loyalty.

Loyalty cannot be ordered, begged for, or bought. If you want loyal people around you, it takes work - your work.

Loyalty also requires a shared purpose and shared values. The specific values and purpose are unimportant, but they must be shared.

Values and goals

No, people will not share your values and goals just because they work for you. They either align with your values and goals or they do not. The level of alignment determines the nature of the relationship. Will it be just a business transaction? Will there be loyalty?

Both sides have the right to choose based on values and goals, and I believe this is more important than skills or money.

Discussions about values often turn to "right or wrong." While there are wrong values, most of those discussions are truly about alignment. The values on both sides are reasonable; they just do not align. Even if we don't agree, we should respect each other's values.

Moreover, it's highly unethical to ask someone to change their goals or values. No matter how important a CEO or manager you are, you have no right to do that.

I have mostly targeted management, but it goes both ways. It's not just the company forcing its will on the employees. Employees can also force the company. As an employee, you don't have the right to demand change. You should be able to suggest whatever you want. However, you can't try to change a group of people just because you think you're right. It doesn't matter if you are right; you still have no right to do so. However, you do have the right to leave.