From Words on a Wall to Virtues in Action

Reading Time: 10 minutes

I can still imagine the picture Chris Carneal, Founder and CEO of Booster, painted of him leading a tour around Booster Enterprises headquarters. Initially, there were wide eyes and nods of understanding. Then, he’d stop the group in front of the wall where the company’s “Core Values” were displayed: Integrity, Enthusiasm, Leadership, Results, and Community.

For years, he took pride in pointing out those values. But often, as he spoke, people’s eyes glazed over. The words lost their weight. Values used to mean something. Now, in too many organizations, they’re merely words on the wall that fade into the background like wallpaper.

Chris didn’t fault the people. He looked to the wall; the reminder that his company’s values were mostly aspirational signposts, rarely lived in the hallways, in meetings, in emails, in difficult decisions.

That moment—standing before his own values wall and watching the life drain out of the rhetoric—ignited the spark. He fanned the flame, embarking on a journey of “deep work” that would eventually transform Booster’s values into virtues. Today, Chris refers to Booster not as a values-centric business, but a virtue-driven one. And in doing so, he invites every leader to ask: are your values working, or are they just decoration?

Dig Deeper: Discover Chris Carneal’s book Virtue Driven Business, How Timeless Principles Build Winning Cultures.

Values vs. Virtues: A Strategic and Soulful Distinction

Values and virtues are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing.

🧭 Values are what we prioritize.
✨ Virtues are how we embody those priorities.

Here’s a snapshot of how the two differ:

Aspect	Values	Virtues
Function	Strategic compass—what matters most	Embodied character—how we operate
Expression	Stated priorities, often collective	Lived behaviors, often personal & relational
Scope	Organizational or cultural	Personal or interpersonal
Measurement	Tracked via KPIs or goals	Felt through consistency and presence
Risk	Can be performative, sometimes divisive	Require integrity and practice

The Deeper Difference: Why Virtues Always Uplift

Values are overarching beliefs that guide decisions and shape priorities. But not all values are positive.

History, and even our current culture, shows how some values can divide rather than unite. When a society begins to value dominance, intolerance, or blind loyalty, the results are predictable: polarization, hostility, and harm. Nationalism, intolerance of differing cultures and viewpoints, for instance, fuels division and violence.

Positive values—like respect, equality, and cooperation—lead to harmony and shared progress. Negative ones—like power, prejudice or greed—undermine the common good.

Virtues, on the other hand, are timeless, aspirational character qualities that exist as universally admired ideals. They transcend ideology, culture, ethnicity, gender, religion, and politics; so many of the things that divide us.

Keystone virtues such as truthfulness, service, kindness, humility, and integrity reflect moral excellence. They elevate human conduct. Practiced consistently, they build trust, foster unity, unleash potential, and help communities thrive.

Virtues also balance each other. For example:

Courage without compassion can become cruelty.
Kindness without wisdom can enable harm.

Virtues require harmony, a mindful, balanced expression guided by discernment.

When virtues work together, they produce positive, ethical outcomes that make the world a better place.

Why It Matters

When values remain words on a wall, they’re decoration. When they become virtues, they illuminate.

Chris Carneal saw it firsthand: when Booster became a virtue-driven business, meetings grew safer, decisions faster, celebrations more frequent, and engagement increased. The difference wasn’t a new policy. It was a new posture.

Virtues gave the company a shared language of behavior, not just belief. They made it easier to trust, decide, and deliver.

And that’s the invitation for all of us, leaders, teams, individuals alike: to move from declaring ideals to demonstrating virtues.

Values Need Virtues to Come Alive

Values without virtues feel hollow, like a mission statement without a heartbeat or just words on a wall. Virtues without values can feel aimless, like a compass with no map.

The magic happens when leaders operationalize values through virtues.

Let’s explore what that looks like in practice.

The Corporate Lens

The three most common values in Fortune 500 companies are Innovation, Customer Service, and Excellence.

Here’s how to bring them to life through virtue:

Innovation → Curiosity, Courage, Flexibility
It’s not enough to “value innovation.” Live it by creating safe space for trial and error. Reward the attempt, not just the outcome. Ask, “What did we learn?” more often than “Did it work?”
Customer Service → Empathy, Attentiveness, Stewardship
True service starts with listening. Measure not only speed, but sincerity. When customers or colleagues feel respected, heard and valued, loyalty follows naturally.
Excellence → Discipline, Humility, Mastery
Excellence isn’t perfection; it’s continuous improvement. It’s the daily practice of refining, improving, and staying teachable. The virtue isn’t the finish line; it’s the rhythm of steady incremental improvement over time.

The Personal Lens

We each carry our own hierarchy of values; what we prize most in life. But not all those values are virtues.

Some of the most common personal values are Success, Freedom, and Happiness. They’re directional and motivators that point us toward what matters. Yet, by themselves, they don’t tell us how to get there. That’s where virtues come in.

Success → Perseverance, Humility, Gratitude
Success as a value focuses on achievement and recognition. Success as a virtue practice balances drive with humility and gratitude. Remembering that winning means little if it costs your integrity or your peace of mind.
Freedom → Responsibility, Respect, Self-Discipline
Freedom without restraint can drift into chaos. Freedom grounded in virtue recognizes that true liberty isn’t doing whatever we want. It’s choosing what’s right, even when it’s difficult or uncomfortable.
Happiness → Contentment, Kindness, Service
The pursuit of happiness can turn inward and isolating. But happiness rooted in virtue radiates outward. It’s built on contentment, kindness, and contribution. We’re happiest when we’re useful to others.

When we align our values with virtues, we shift from chasing fulfillment to creating it. Virtues give shape and direction to our deepest desires. They help us succeed with integrity, live freely with respect, and find joy that lasts because it lifts others too.

Turning Walls into Waves of Light

Bioluminescent waves all around the Monterey Bay! The light is produced by a type of plant-plankton known as dinoflagellates.

So how do we move from a wall words to waves of action? It starts with a ripple, tiny actions (sometimes imperceptible at first) taken consistently every day. Here are some ideas:

1. Audit your language.

Don’t just look at what you or your organization says it values, A simple way to tell the difference:

Values express what’s important to your organization. (Innovation. Excellence. Belonging.)
Virtues express how those priorities are lived out in daily behavior. (Curiosity. Diligence. Kindness.)

Values describe intention. Virtues reveal embodiment. So, look how you bring this value to life by asking, “How would we recognize this value in action? How do we bring this value to life?”

The consistent behaviors, tone, and attitudes that answer these questions are where virtue lives.

2. Tell the story.

Chris’s “values wall” story became a cultural mirror. It ignited the work to transform into a virtue-driven business. Every organization needs its own version of that wake-up call.

3. Embed virtue in rhythm.

End meetings by asking: Which virtue did we show (or miss) today?

Build reflections into team check-ins. Encourage people to notice virtues in others.

4. Measure what’s felt, not just what’s seen.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) matter. But so do pulse checks like: Do people feel heard? Inspired? Are our leaders trusted?

5. Model it visibly.

Virtue is caught more than taught. Leaders set the tone not through slogans, but through presence and consistent action. People emulate what they experience. Are leaders (especially at the top) modeling the way for others?

The Ripple Effect

Imagine tossing a stone into a still pond. The ripples fan outward, touching the surface far beyond that first point of impact. In the realm of virtue, your actions do the same.

In behavioral science, this isn’t just metaphorical. Studies of prosocial contagion show that when people observe acts of kindness or moral behavior, they become more likely to act in kind themselves. In a meta-analysis of 88 experiments, participants exposed to altruistic acts were measurably more generous afterward.

Moreover, research on emotional contagion reveals that positive moods, respect, compassion, and other ethical signals spread among group members, enhancing cooperation and reducing conflict.

Even small moral nudges, like asking someone to “take a moment to think of someone whose kindness made a difference for you” before asking for a donation, would have a positive effect because gratitude primes moral elevation, which is a positive emotional state shown to increase generosity, volunteering, and cooperation.

When you bring a virtue to life, others feel it. And when they feel it, they’re more likely, perhaps even unconsciously, to bring the virtue to life as well. That is the ripple effect!

Science confirms what wisdom has long known: goodness spreads. Every act of virtue creates a current that moves others toward their better selves.

What if there’s no finish line, only a through line?

Memento Mori. Memento Vivere. ⏳💫
Remember you will die. Remember to live.

These aren’t morbid reminders. They’re invitations to live with intention, to grow in virtue, to prepare our souls for what’s next.

I see this life as both a classroom and a garden: a place to learn, love, and cultivate qualities that endure beyond this world. Integrity. Compassion. Patience. Gratitude. Each is a seed we tend through daily choices.

My own brush with mortality was a wake-up call. The loss of a loved one brings the same truth into focus: our time here is fleeting, but it’s far from meaningless. Every act of kindness, every moment of courage, every prayer of gratitude shapes who we become here, and who we’ll be there.

They say yesterday is history, tomorrow may never come, and today? Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.

So, pause. Take the long breath, the next email can wait. Call the friend or parent. Start the thing. Say the words, provided they’re kind. Don’t hold back.

Because every choice is part of your through line, the one that connects this life to the next. And when we live that way—with purpose, presence, intention, and virtue—our days become lighter, our lives fuller, and our legacy clearer.

While no one knows what happens after we die, one thing is certain: those we’ve loved and those whose lives we’ve touched will feel our absence and remember us.

Values Rarely Inspire

They may guide, but they seldom move hearts.

When you think about the leader who most shaped you: the one who made you feel seen, heard, and valued, it wasn’t their strategic three-point plan or PowerPoint slide of core values that lit your fire. It was their virtues in action.

The way they listened without judgment.
The courage they showed when the stakes were high.
The humility they modeled after a mistake.
The kindness that turned feedback into growth.

That’s what earned your trust. That’s why you leaned in. That’s why you worked late, not out of fear or obligation, but out of respect and shared purpose.

Values can hang on a wall. Virtues walk down the hall.

And when they do, people notice. Teams shift. Cultures lift.

Your Call to Action

Don’t just post your principles. Live your life on purpose by practicing your virtues daily.

Here’s How:

First, choose one “keystone virtue.”

A keystone virtue is the central characteristic or quality that supports and strengthens other virtues, like the keystone in an arch, it holds character together and gives structure to moral strength.

Take truthfulness, for example. It’s more than telling the truth; it’s living in alignment with reality, speaking with sincerity, and acting with authenticity. When you practice truthfulness, you naturally give rise to related virtues, like:

Honesty, in how we communicate.
Accountability, in how we take responsibility for our actions.
Reliability, in how we keep our commitments.
Transparency, in how we make decisions and share information.
Courage, in how we uphold truth even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient.

Together, these companion virtues form a constellation around truthfulness, each supporting, strengthening, and expressing it in a different way. When truthfulness serves as the keystone, trust follows; and trust is the foundation of every meaningful relationship, team, and community.

When choosing your keystone virtue, pick one that you already hold with strong conviction and consider non-negotiable for your character.

Next, think of practical ways you can demonstrate that virtue throughout the upcoming week. If possible, block time on your calendar for when you plan to model the behavior.

At the end of the week, reflect. Ask yourself, “what went well?” “What didn’t go as expected?” “What did I learn?” Then, based on your answers, make a plan for the following week.

Remember, it’s not about perfection. It’s about progress.

Because that’s how light spreads. One act. One ripple. One virtue at a time.

When you understand that HOW you do what you do—HOW YOU LEAD—is as important as WHAT you achieve, you lead with both competence and warmth. That’s what it means to be a virtue-driven leader.

Parting Thoughts

If you can recall only one thing from this post, remember this: Values light the lantern. Virtues light the path.

One can divide; the other unites.
One is declared; the other is demonstrated.
One sits on a wall; the other takes action in the world.

Virtues aren’t the new shiny object or the next corporate trend. They’re a human necessity. Practicing them doesn’t make you soft; it makes you strong in the only way that lasts.

In our AI-saturated, digitally distracted world, people are starving for human connection more than ever before. Demonstrating virtues in an authentic way enables you to connect with someone on a human level.

Be clear. Be kind. Lead with Light! ✨