From Paper to Practice: Bringing a Core Value to Life

Many firms craft value statements, put them in a slide deck, and hope the words sink in. The unfortunate reality is that values that live only on paper rarely have any gravitational pull. They have to show up in hiring, onboarding, daily routines, and feedback.

At 2050 Partners, we keep testing ways to translate our first value—“Being trusted advisors to our clients.”—into action. What follows is how that effort looks today. The specifics evolve as we learn, but the foundation has held up.

Trust Before Day 1

During interviews we probe for moments when candidates demonstrated a trusted advisor consulting mindset. We follow a structured set of questions to unpack their past experiences. Their stories reveal how they balance credibility, reliability, rapport, and low self-orientation—traits essential to a trusted advisory relationship. Adding this to our hiring scorecard reminds our hiring teams that technical skill alone isn’t enough to be successful.

A Shared Library and Framework on Day 1

Every new hire at 2050 Partners receives three books. The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook by Charles Green and Andrea Howe sits on top; its framework for being a trusted advisor gives everyone common language, frameworks, and practical exercises. [The Coaching Habit and Turning Numbers into Knowledge round out the stack, underscoring the power of asking better questions and translating analysis into insights.]

Fundamentals in the First Month

Within the first thirty days each new hire watches a short set of recorded videos on the fundamentals of being a trusted advisor. The material lays the groundwork for later discussions, targeted trainings, and feedback loops.

“Trusted Thursday” in the Daily Huddle

Our daily huddle runs five days a week and our Thursday theme is “Trusted Thursday.” A rotating facilitator opens with a single trust concept and the team shares experiences that illustrate—or challenge—the idea. The ritual is brief, practical, and doubles as real-time knowledge transfer opportunity.

Feedback that Keeps the Value in View

Twice a year everyone completes a self-assessment and receives 360° feedback from their manager, peers, and supervisees. Reviewers comment specifically on how each person lives our values and where growth is possible. The patterns shape individual development plans, inform promotion discussions, and help us fine-tune future training.

Call to Action

Which of your firm’s values could benefit from a similar treatment, and what small step could make it more tangible? I’d enjoy comparing notes—feel free to reach out through Collective 54 or connect with me on LinkedIn.