Greggs’ CEO Roisin Currie talks about her own values and those of the business. How did they come to be, how do they come to life – and how do they underpin the phenomenal growth of this British High Street hero?

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Jingye, which has direct links to the Chinese Communist Party, bought British Steel from the UK government’s insolvency service in 2020. One of their first moves was to cover the steelworks with corporate slogans, motivational mantras and brightly illustrated murals – flowers and all.

This approach is commonplace in Chinese state-owned and influenced enterprises, where business is seen as an extension of government, and values are handed down as instruments of control. In such a system, compliance is king and expression is limited to what aligns with the official line.

But Scunthorpe isn’t Shenzhen. In the UK, our working culture – for all its flaws – is built on a deeper expectation of autonomy, voice and mutual respect. When the slogans went up, the response from the steelworkers was sceptical. Let’s just say that the flowers didn’t bloom.

Because in cultures of trust, values are less about unity of messaging and more about unity of meaning. They are discovered, debated and put to work.

And that’s the real difference. Slogans demand silence. Values invite dialogue. Is your culture built for obedience or belief?

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It was an experiment without agenda, built on a shared curiosity about what happens when you bring together people who live and lead through values.

Around the (virtual) table were people from football, finance, healthcare, marketing, academia and technology. Different sectors united by the fact that each of them had shown a deeper-than-average interest in culture as something they actively use to lead.

The conversation was generous, honest and far-reaching. By the end, it was clear this wasn’t a one-off …

Themes

Several clear themes were threaded through people’s stories, challenges and reflections.

Values aren’t optional. They are the navigational tools that help leaders make decisions when things get tough. This wasn’t about virtue signalling, but about resilience and results.

Values take courage. You cannot lead through values without also being prepared to have hard conversations, make unpopular decisions or shift direction when integrity demands it.

Culture is never finished. Organisations shift. People evolve. Contexts change. Values must be constantly re-embedded.

External perception matters. Culture is not just an internal feeling. It is how your team treats a supplier, how a parent describes their experience of your programme, or why someone chooses to join your organisation over another. Culture is your brand, lived.

Language holds power. Words like ‘kindness’ or ‘freedom’ don’t land the same way for everyone. We heard examples where well-intentioned language sparked concern or discomfort – not because the values weren’t right, but because interpretation hadn’t been fully explored.

Grit

What made the session sing was the subtle differences.

Some leaders spoke about supporting people to leave when values no longer aligned. Others described decisive action, making the call early for the sake of cultural clarity. Each reflected on the emotional cost of delay.

One story stood out: in a previous leadership role, someone shared that their team had adopted a value about enabling success. It was well received – until someone asked, “Does this mean I’m allowed to fail?” The question wasn’t rebellious: it revealed just how important it is to consider the full implication of any value.

Another insight came from the healthcare sector. A value intended to reflect stewardship and care for time and resources was initially met with unease. With further conversation, the value was clarified and embraced, but it served as a powerful reminder. Language isn’t neutral, especially in emotionally complex settings.

Some leaders described building their team’s autonomy and watching them flourish. Others found that the shift towards shared accountability created uncertainty. For some, it felt liberating. For others, destabilising.

These apparent contradictions showed the difference between a values statement and a values system. One is written. The other is lived, challenged, and matured through experience.

Takeaways

1. Clarity is kindness. If someone isn’t aligned, helping them move on can be the most respectful choice for everyone.

2. Values must be embodied. A leader can’t ask others to live the values if they aren’t willing to be held to them too.

3. Real values divide. Good values attract the right people and allow others to self-select out. That’s not failure. That’s function.

4. Culture lives in moments. It’s not in posters or presentations, but in how someone leaves the field, responds to a challenge, or welcomes a colleague on a difficult day.

5. Your culture is your brand. And the most powerful proof isn’t what you say, it’s how people talk about you when you’re not in the room, sign onto a customer waiting list or wait for a role to open up just to be part of it.

What’s Next

Culture Club will meet again. The next session will bring together a fresh mix of leaders, with new insights, stories and dilemmas, and welcome back some faces from this pilot session.

If you’re leading through values – or want to – and would like to be part of a future get together, contact me here.

No pitch. No performance. Just purpose-led people having the conversations that matter.

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I would argue it is the time to pick them up.

How can they help?

Firstly, if we face a challenging situation, then sometimes we have to make a decision that is a compromise rather than ideal. If we can make those decisions based on our values, that helps us at least know that we have maintained integrity.

When the world is shifting very fast around you and you find yourself unseated, unsettled – even slightly unhinged – you need something solid at the core from which to take guidance and advice. And if you cannot look up and out for it, then the place to look is in.

Being values-driven does not make you a wimp.

Let me make one thing clear: values do not have to be nice. Values have to be things which allow you to make choices that you can trust. And if the choices that you trust are based on things like money and growth and winning, then have those as values, by all means. If your purpose in the world is to improve your fortunes, to build your castle, then that is fine. That is your purpose.

What is fundamentally important here is that this stuff is true. If it is not true, you cannot look to it for advice. And from where do you take your advice then?

Finally, other people might choose to live apparently without values – although I would suggest that it often just means their values are at odds with yours. All values are not equal, and values are certainly not equally shared.

However, just because other people choose not to live by your values does not mean that you should abandon them. It means you should secure them. You should work with them. You should lean on them for support. You should big them up. You should fight their corner – and they will fight yours.

That is the power of values in a strongman era.

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“Once you get over yourself,” says Matt King, headmaster of Great Ballard School, you can have “the joy of appointing people who are so much better than you.”

And it's that view that permeates his approach to colleagues, students and family – of every type. He is a headteacher who has an open door policy, celebrates fun, encourages brave thinking, even finds himself proud of a pupil protest. His values are legacies from his parents with an extra one on top, and are things he treasures, nurtures and consciously refers to in times of uncertainty.

We spoke about the values that have helped him take some quite radical steps in education of children from ages 2-16, balancing the necessary disciplines of the curriculum with some quite unusual approaches to lifelong learning.

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Here’s how he introduced the episode:

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Join Em for an inspiring chat with Erika Clegg, a woman on a mission to ignite a values revolution! Erika shares her journey of self-discovery and how uncovering your true values can empower you to live a more fulfilling life. They also delve into the power of vision, overcoming fears, and the importance of self-care. Tune in for a motivating conversation that will leave you ready to embrace your values and create a life of purpose and joy!

About Erika Clegg: Erika Clegg empowers leaders and their teams to identify and express their core values, designing strategies for values-driven programs. With 20 years of experience in brand consultancy and strategic communications, she now specializes in values-driven cultures, conducting workshops and delivering keynotes on leadership and values. As an award-winning speaker for Vistage CEO groups, she supports business leaders across Britain. Erika excels at helping clients navigate complexity, uncover their core principles, and pave the way for growth.

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Simon describes his mission as mentoring, supporting and shaping an optimistic future for the design industry. He uses the global branding agency, DixonBaxi, of which he is co-founder as the platform for this, creating a group of people who make beautiful, original brands that change the world for the better. We spoke about colleagues, clients, creativity and childhood.

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This is where leaders need to ask themselves some difficult questions. Values are the principles we actively choose to guide our decisions, but beliefs are something different. Beliefs are often absorbed unconsciously, shaped by the influence of others – parents, teachers, early bosses – before we ever have the chance to scrutinise them.

If a belief serves us well, it can support progress. But if it limits us, it can quietly dictate the terms of our leadership in ways we never intended.

‘Hard work’ is a classic example. Where does it come from? For many, it can be traced back to a figure of authority in childhood. A parent who valued industry over idleness. A teacher who praised diligence above creativity. A culture that equated long hours with moral worth. Over time, the expectation to work hard lodges itself so deeply that it starts to feel like a personal value.

But is it? Or is it simply the echo of someone else’s?

This matters, because values shape culture. Leaders who operate from beliefs mistaken for values risk reinforcing unexamined assumptions within their organisations. ‘Hard work’ sounds commendable – but if it shows up as burnout or an inability to delegate, it may not be the guiding principle a leader wants to champion.

So how can you tell if something is a true value or a belief shaped by someone else’s values? Here are three questions to ask:

1. Would I still hold this if I had been raised in a different environment? If your value system would be unchanged, it’s more likely to be intrinsic. If not, it’s worth questioning its origins.

2. Does this belief create freedom or limitation? A true value expands possibilities, enabling better choices. A belief, if left unexamined, can act as a constraint.

3. Am I living this by choice or obligation? Values feel like a calling. Beliefs often feel like rules.

The work of an authentic leader is not to inherit assumptions but to define the principles that matter and to use them to build cultures where people and organisations thrive. That starts with knowing which values are yours and which ones were handed to you. The question is, which will you choose?

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Over ten weeks, Doug and I have explored his values and purpose in a whole-life context: broad conversations whittled down to clear insights, with weekly sessions and tasks, following my Values Revolution programme. Despite his packed schedule, he has committed fully to the sessions and the homework, and we are both delighted with the outcome.

It’s an honour to be trusted by someone of Doug’s calibre. In return, I bring wholehearted support, sharp focus and deep listening – tuning into what’s unsaid as much as what’s said, joining dots, and helping talented people see things from fresh angles.

Here’s what Doug said: 

“Erika doesn’t just talk about values; she walks alongside you and coaches you to discover yours. Over a transformative 10-week exploration, I watched Erika unearth the core principles that will guide me for the next decade and beyond. Her unwavering and focused dedication to this process was nothing short of inspiring, generating real clarity for me.

“What sets Erika apart is her rare ability to translate self-discovery into actionable growth. She went deep, questioning, challenging and supporting. This helped me align my personal values with professional aspirations. and achieve greater clarity around both in the process.

“This is not a quick fix, it’s a considered, reflective process that follows the path of deep, meaningful change. For those ready to unlock their full potential, I wholeheartedly recommend joining the Values Revolution.”

If you are at a point of change, don’t hesitate to contact me. Of all I do in my work, helping exceptional people access the tools to make good choices for their next step is one of the things I find most rewarding.

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