This week, Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s, resigned from the company he helped build fifty years ago. Of course, there’s always more to the story. Decisions of this magnitude are rarely simple, and they’re not always perfect. Politics aside, what matters is the willingness to align action with belief. That kind of clarity builds trust and deepens connection. In Jerry's statement he wrote: “It’s easy to stand up and speak out when there’s nothing at stake. The real test of values is when times are challenging and you have something to lose. It was always about more than just ice cream. It was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice, and a better world.” Walking away from your life’s work is not theatre. It is a line in the sand. Jerry’s decision is a simple reminder for every leader. Values are not free. They come with a cost. If you are not willing to pay it, your values remain words on a wall.
When the Test Comes
Purpose in sunshine is easy. Values in warm winds feel bold. But what happens when the storm comes?
When profit margins tighten. When stakeholders push for silence. When you face dissent from inside your own team. When every decision is questioned. That is when your values are no longer a poster—they become a posture.
Clarity is your strongest defence. Without clarity, you compromise. With clarity, you can stand.
And the world is watching.
People are paying attention to what brands do, not only what they say. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report on Brand Trust, more than sixty percent of people now make buying decisions based on belief alignment. People can tell when a brand is living its values and when it is not. Half finished promises and shallow commitments are quickly exposed. Clarity forces us to ask a hard question. Are we ready to be consistent, even when it costs us?
Sources: Edelman 2025 Brand Trust overview and full PDF.
The Wrestle, The Storm, The Growth
Real alignment does not avoid tension. It moves through it with maturity. The deeper truths, the most meaningful stories, emerge in the tension.
- Welcome the challenge. When someone questions your direction, be curious. A critical voice may sting but it might also sharpen your thinking. The greatest ideas often come when you wrestle with contrasting views.
- Hold fast, but stay open. You do not bend your values to every opinion. You do listen. You make space for disagreement. You practise curiosity before certainty. McKinsey notes that feedback rich cultures build capability and resilience when feedback is specific, frequent, and actionable. See McKinsey’s perspective on feedback culture here: McKinsey article.
- Let feedback be your compass. The path of purpose is rarely straight. Feedback reveals blind spots, tests assumptions, surfaces hidden tension.
- Lean into discomfort. Real growth happens on the other side of friction. The brands that last are those willing to take hard stands, absorb critique, and course-correct without losing soul.
Organisations that embed a feedback culture don’t just survive, they become living systems of growth. Research shows that feedback-rich workplaces foster trust, respect, and deeper alignment. But getting there is hard: feedback is risky, messy, emotional. It demands humility, vulnerability, and persistence.
Brands beyond products
Brands are more than what they sell. They are signals, stories, and social catalysts. Ben and Jerry’s used ice cream as a vehicle for something larger. Love, equity, and justice were the mission. That is the power of alignment over time.
Your product/services may be the vehicle. Your purpose is the impact. When your purpose is clear and your actions match it, a business becomes a movement.
Questions that force truth
- What would we never compromise, even if it cost revenue or popularity?
- Where do our actions already prove our values, and where are we falling short?
- What decision in front of us right now most tests our values, and are we prepared to make it?
- Do our partnerships, products, procurement, hiring, and communications all reflect our purpose?
The call to boldness
The world does not need more statements. It needs conviction. It needs leaders who count the cost and then carry it. When you choose alignment over convenience and integrity over compromise, you do more than earn trust. You inspire it. You show that business can build community and help create a better world. Count the cost. Name what it will take. Accept the price. Then live it. Fully. Confidently. Consistently.
Be the leader who doesn’t flinch. Be the brand that means what it says. Be the organisation that finishes what it starts.
If you want a practical way to anchor purpose in practice, start here: A Practical Guide to Brand Alignment.
