From Intention to Action – And What It Really Means to Live Your Values

Hi, I’m Clint, founder of C-Sure Consulting. In this week’s edition of C-Shorts, I’m reflecting on World Values Day 2025, how I took part, what I took from it, and why curiosity still feels to me like one of the most important values to carry forward into the future...

🌍 Culture, Change & Curiosity

World Values Day has been on my radar since my time at Nutreco, where company values went from something quite indistinct to becoming part of work culture.

Back in 2014, I was asked to take on the role of Culture Champion, helping to launch a new set of company values: Capable, Caring, Collaborative, with Innovative at the centre. I stayed in that role for five years, helping embed those ideas into the workplace.

But values evolve, just like organisations do. Around 2020, Nutreco relaunched its values to align with those of its parent company, SHV: Passion, Inclusivity, Integrity, Trust, and Curiosity. I'm sure it's never easy moving from one set of values to another, but even though I’d stepped away from the Culture Champion role by then, I still understood the need for it.

This year, I celebrated World Values Day in a more independent way, I cleared my calendar and signed up for some of the WVD online events... It all started with a beautiful Native American blessing from Joan Henry, shared as part of the day’s reflections. She spoke about caring for Mother Earth, not just for ourselves but for the generations to come; fitting perfectly with this year's theme of Values for the Future.

I was keen to get involved, and one way to do that was to share a value you find important for the future on social media. I had already given this a lot of thought and decided that I would choose Curiosity as my value. It has always resonated with me, but feels even more important today when there is so much division and uncertainty in society. I feel like if people were more curious, asked more questions, and listened first before taking action, then it would be an important step towards a more understanding and tolerant world.

I took my selfie and shared my post, and opened myself up to whatever the day would bring... 🌿 Curiosity in Context

The first session I joined was From Autopilot to Alignment, hosted by Corinne Guion, a Sophrologist and Wellbeing Coach who helps people reconnect with their values through movement, breathing, and guided visualisation.

For twenty minutes, I closed my eyes and let the tension drop away. We were asked to focus on one value that felt important and picture how it could show up more in our daily lives. I followed the process and cleared my mind, but it was curiosity that kept coming back.

Once we had settled on a value we had to visualise how we can bring more of this value into our daily lives.

I immediately thought about those at home, my wife, my two boys, and our dog, Maggie. I found myself thinking about how often I react before I really understand what’s going on. Do I see what they need, or do I rush to fix things on my own terms?

I made myself a promise to try and be more curious in those situations, when the boys are fighting between themselves, or when Maggie's pulling me along to bark at a cat; of course I wouldn't let her get the cat either, you know what they say about curiosity! 😉

Sometimes curiosity means pausing before pushing, or asking 'why' instead of 'what’s wrong'. It’s only a small change, but it can make a big difference.

Curiosity isn’t just about learning, it’s also about caring enough to understand.

💻 From Nature to Neural Networks

Later in the day, I joined another Valuesthon event called Reflections Between Worlds: Discovering Values in Nature, Humanity, and AI, led by Rhonda L. Bowen.

The idea wasn’t to decide whether AI is good or bad, but to use it as a mirror to see what really matters to us.

We were guided through a set of reflective prompts and asked to feed them into ChatGPT (or whichever tool we usually use). The output was a personalised Values & Impact Guide.

Mine highlighted several values that all felt very relevant to me: Curiosity, Resilience, Creativity, Connection, Compassion, Ethical Responsibility, Hope for Progress, and Wonder among them.

Each came with a short reflection and suggested actions. For example:

• Curiosity reminded me to keep exploring new ideas and share discoveries through storytelling.

  
  

• Resilience encouraged regular reflection to notice how I adapt under pressure.

  
  

• Connection invited me to create opportunities for people to unite around shared purpose.

  
  

I think the closing summary captured it well:

'Your insights reveal a person guided by curiosity, compassion, creativity, and conscience — values that naturally align with your mission to help others navigate uncertainty and build resilience.'

I smiled when I read that... Because when I started C-Sure Consulting, it was just me on my own. At that point, I didn’t have to think too much about company culture; my personal values automatically became the company values.

Over time though, I realised it was important to set values that would guide the business as it grows. That’s how we came up with our Seven C's: Commitment, Cost Control, Collaboration, Confidence, Clarity, Creativity, and Conscience.

They might not all match my core personal values exactly, but they complement them very well. Together, they represent what C-Sure stands for: helping businesses move forward with trust, clarity, and connection.

⚙️ Purpose in Practice

One thing I’ve learned is that there’s a big difference between choosing a value and truly living it. I'm sure lots of companies list values like Integrity or Innovation, but they only matter if they guide daily decision-making.

Alignment keeps a supply chain moving in the right direction. Strong values should do the same for teams. They should guide decisions, build trust, and help everyone pull together when things get difficult.

At C-Sure, our three core values are our guiding principles:

• Clarity — making sure everyone understands the goal and the path to get there.

  
  

• Collaboration — recognising that the best outcomes come from shared effort and open communication.

  
  

• Commitment — showing up consistently and following through, even when things get tough.

  
  

Those same values underpin any healthy partnership. They’re what turn plans into progress and trust into traction.

The businesses I’ve worked with over the years that seem to do best aren’t always the biggest or best resourced; they’re the ones where people feel aligned by a shared sense of purpose. 🌅 From Awareness to Action Curiosity isn’t just for learning new things; it’s for understanding the people and situations right in front of us. When we bring that mindset home, or into work, it changes how we listen and how we lead. After finishing up at my desk, I decided to sign off early and spend some time with the family. Nothing particularly special, just time together, away from screens and routines.

I tried to stay aware, to stay curious, to notice more and be less reactive. And you know what, I think it worked. The atmosphere was calmer. It felt good.

Let’s see if I can do it again tomorrow...

🤝 Let’s Keep Connected Writing this week’s blog reminded me that reflection without alignment is just thinking, but reflection with intention becomes action.

How about you?

What values guide your choices, and how do you bring them to life?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below or get in touch. Until next time...

💡 C-Sure Shortcut of the Week

Live your values like they matter.

Start with one small action today that brings your principles to life.