Don’t Just Talk About Your Values. Operationalize Them.
What Arkansas Support Network can teach us about leading from conviction, not convenience.
Most mission-driven leaders can rattle off their organization’s values in a heartbeat.
We believe in dignity, choice, inclusion, empowerment…
But how often do those values show up in the way day-to-day decisions are made? In how frontline staff approach their shifts? In how team culture is shaped and sustained?
It’s one thing to name your values.
It’s another to make them visible in action—especially across a large and complex team.
At Arkansas Support Network, they’ve taken that challenge seriously. And what they’ve created might just be one of the most practical models I’ve seen for translating values into real behavior.
From Philosophy to Practice: How Culture Actually Gets Built
Dr. Syard Evans, CEO of Arkansas Support Network, doesn’t shy away from complexity. Under her leadership, the organization has made bold moves—not just in what they believe, but in how they build systems to reflect those beliefs.
In a recent conversation, she shared that their commitment to person-centered support led them to reimagine the tools they use every day—particularly how they guide and align staff.
The key shift?
Moving from telling people what’s important to making it easier for people to act on what’s important.
That’s not just a philosophical distinction. It’s an operational one.
Building Tools That Reflect Your Values
One example that stood out is a new AI-powered tool they developed in-house.
At first glance, it’s an impressive innovation: an AI system trained to support vision-driven, person-centered planning. But its real magic isn’t the tech—it’s the intent behind it.
They designed the system to reflect the exact values they want embedded into their culture. And then they used it to generate daily shift guides and powerful affirmations that focus on what each individual values. The end result? Personalized, affirming, and practical supports for DSPs.
These aren’t generic checklists. They’re living documents that:
Highlight what matters most to the person receiving services
Help staff stay focused on the person’s goals and strengths
Reinforce how to support autonomy, not just safety
Create clarity and alignment for everyone on the team
As Syard put it, these guides aren’t just about plans. They’re about people—and about helping DSPs show up in a way that’s grounded in clarity, not guesswork.
This Isn’t About AI. It’s About Intentionality.
Whether or not your organization uses tech tools like these, the bigger takeaway applies to all of us:
Your systems are shaping your culture.
And if your systems don’t make your values easier to live out, they’ll get drowned out by competing pressures.
At ASN, they didn’t just write new mission statements. They built structures—tools, guides, training, language—that reflect the world they’re trying to create.
That’s how you embed values.
That’s how you build a culture where people actually know what matters—and what to do about it.
What Would It Look Like to Embed Your Values?
So here’s the invitation for all of us:
What are the values that you say are most important?
Where do those values already show up in the way people lead, support, and show up for each other?
And where are you still relying on good intentions instead of good systems?
Because the goal isn’t just to hire people who care.
It’s to make it easier for people to act on what they care about—consistently, collaboratively, and with clarity.
Want to hear more?
Dr. Syard Evans shared the full story of how Arkansas Support Network developed these tools (and why it matters) in our recent podcast conversation. It's a hopeful, practical vision for what human services leadership can look like when it’s anchored in both heart and action.
Episode 44 – Turning Organizational Values into Daily Actions w/ Dr. Syard Evans
Available wherever you get your podcasts or over on the Podcast page.
