Stay True to Your Bearings: Lead with Values in a Fragmented World

This summary draws insights from the 2025 Page Up Annual Conference sessions: Navigating Institutional Tensions in Changing Political Currents, Stories with Depth and The Undertow of Influence: Understanding Today’s Media Ocean.

The Big Picture

In the closing remarks for the 2025 Page Up Annual Conference, the event co-chairs emphasized two through-lines: relationships compound value (don’t wait to cultivate them) and momentum matters (keep learning together beyond the event). They also surfaced what many felt most: the pain of being invisible, misunderstood, or misconstrued, and that the way through is better decision-making rooted in values: bias to action, clarity, and consistency. The tone was notably optimistic and pragmatic: “don’t let it end here”. Keep showing up, together.

Impactful Quote

“We anchor on mission because politics will always change. That’s what steadies people when the ground keeps shifting.”

Discussion Highlights

Transparency builds trust — even with critics.
An example was shared of how an organization’s credibility comes from living its values out loud. When the company transitioned its ownership to align with an environmental mission, it prioritized employees, community and purpose over optics—offering journalists genuine access rather than scripted messages.

Hold steady amid media fragmentation.
Semafor’s Max Tani explained that today’s information ecosystem rewards outrage over accuracy, pushing communicators to double down on integrity. The way forward, he said, is to invest in credible storytelling and make truth discoverable — by people and machines.

Why It Matters

In a world that amplifies extremes, consistency of values is what earns trust. Stakeholders are quick to sense when words and actions diverge. When companies stay anchored to purpose, they not only preserve credibility but help raise the standard for the public discourse around them.

To Take Back to Your Teams

1) Build a “values-to-decisions” compass
Turn your values into an operational tool, not a poster.

How: For every major decision (statement, campaign, or policy), run it through three filters:
1. Does it reflect our mission and values?
2. Does it serve stakeholders or just optics?
3. Can we prove it through action?
Why it matters: This moves teams from “what should we say?” to “what should we do?”—reducing paralysis and protecting credibility.
Example: One organization reframed DEI through the value of “community” to maintain unity without abandoning principle.

2) Operationalize relationships — before you need them
Don’t wait to build trust.

How: Map your top 10 relationships across media, government, and community—split into “proactive” and “reactive” tiers. Assign team leads to check in quarterly with useful context, data, or access (not pitches).
Why it matters: These touchpoints create “trust equity” that pays off when issues arise.
Example: Patagonia cultivated transparency with David Gelles years before The Dirtbag Billionaire launch, enabling a nuanced story that strengthened credibility.

3) Make truth discoverable
Fragmented media and AI-driven search mean facts alone aren’t enough—structure matters.

How: Audit your owned content. Are key facts clear, current, and cited? Create a “credible content spine”: FAQs, executive bios, data points, and explainers designed for both human readers and AI crawlers.
Why it matters: Clean, fact-based content helps journalists, customers, and large language models surface your story first—reducing misinformation risk.

4) Show, then tell
Action before announcement is the new rule of trust.

How: Sequence every initiative internally first (employees → key partners → public). Pair each statement with one visible proof point—an investment, a new practice, or data transparency.
Why it matters: Values resonate only when they’re experienced. Patagonia’s “Earth Is Our Only Shareholder” announcement succeeded because employees heard it first and could explain why it mattered.

5) Protect your people’s balance and bandwidth
Staying true to values includes taking care of the humans who uphold them.

How: Rotate responsibility for 24/7 issues monitoring; set “quiet hours” for team leaders; debrief tough moments as learning sessions, not postmortems.
Why it matters: The Day 2 closing noted that agility without resilience burns people out. Protecting energy sustains integrity and composure when crises hit

What Members Are Saying

Q: How do you balance authenticity with risk in polarized environments?
A: “We learned that avoiding controversy isn’t neutrality — it’s invisibility. When we show up with clear intent and empathy, even critics respect consistency.”

Q: What’s the secret to maintaining credibility with journalists?
A: “Transparency. The more we try to control the story, the less believable we become. When we lead with facts and values, trust follows.”

Q: How do you keep teams grounded amid conflicting pressures?
A: “We go back to the mission. When the debate heats up, we ask, Does this decision serve our purpose? That question cools the noise.”

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