Back to About

    Our Values

    Our Values — The BPI Culture Code

    "We set the standard. We live the standard."

    Best Practice Institute is the research organization behind Most Loved Workplace®. For twenty-five years we have studied what makes people love where they work — and we hold ourselves to the same standard we ask of every certified company. These are not aspirations. They are the operating rules of this team, drawn directly from our Culture Code by founder Louis Carter, and shaped by hundreds of conversations with CEOs, founders, and leaders from The Leader Show and the world's Most Loved Workplaces®.

    You are not here to clock in. You are here to build something transformational — and be transformed in the process.

    Culture Standard #1 — Solutions First. No Blame. No Complaining. Move Forward Together.

    At BPI and Most Loved Workplace®, we operate with a solutions-first culture. We do not engage in blame, complaining, negativity, or repeatedly defining problems without action. We address issues directly through feedforward — moving solutions into the now, taking ownership of our part, and moving forward with clarity.

    When something isn't working, we fix it. When we see an opportunity, we bring recommendations, not roadblocks. We focus on what we can build, not what went wrong in the past. Every teammate is expected to contribute to a positive, forward-moving environment where challenges are met with problem-solving, partnership, quality, and fast execution. This is how we maintain high standards, support each other, and deliver an exceptional experience to our clients and partners.

    What It Means to Be on the BPI Team

    1. Delight the Customer. Every Time. Good enough isn't good enough. Our job is not just to deliver — it's to exceed expectations. Be responsive. Be thoughtful. Anticipate needs before they're spoken. Make every interaction a reason they choose us again.
    2. Delight Each Other. No Task-Order Mentality. Your teammates are your customers, too. Blaming and complaining kills initiative, creativity, and trust. Bring energy, care, and excellence to every handoff. Be the person others want to work with.
    3. Professional Maturity. Blame, excuses, passive-aggressive behavior, and "that's not my job" mindsets don't belong here. That's not experience — that's avoidance. If you've been in the game a long time, show it by raising the bar.
    4. Never Leave Others Behind. Real leaders step in. Real professionals lift others. We don't tolerate "every person for themselves" behavior. We succeed together — or not at all.

    The 17 Behaviors of Real Success

    Each behavior is mapped to a LOWI™ driver (Love of Workplace Index) and the SPARK signal it produces — the same instruments that power Most Loved Workplace® certification across 10,000+ organizations.

    1. We Own the Vision — Not Just the Work

    Our mission is bold, and our values are clear. We don't follow blindly — we align with purpose and bring it to life through action, not lip service. LOWI Driver: Alignment of Values · SPARK: Purpose-driven execution, cultural buy-in, high engagement

    2. Ready and Accountable

    Distance doesn't dilute standards. We're visible, responsive, and responsible — not just active on Slack, but invested in outcomes. LOWI Driver: Systemic Collaboration · SPARK: Cross-functional flow, follow-through, clarity of roles

    3. We Build with Respect — and Deliver Results

    We don't separate performance from professionalism. We lead with mutual respect and hold each other to high standards. One without the other fails. We never blame or complain — when it happens we call it out and restore energy immediately. We live in an energy economy. LOWI Drivers: Respect + Killer Outcomes · SPARK: High trust, high candor, consistent achievement

    4. We Give Feedforward to Elevate — Not to Protect Feelings or Blame

    Constructive truth about culture behavior is a sign of respect. We challenge each other with honesty and maturity. Feedforward is fuel — not a threat. LOWI Driver: Respect · SPARK: Psychological safety with accountability

    5. We Don't Wait — We Take Ownership

    Initiative is expected. When we see something broken, we fix it. When something's unclear, we seek clarity — fast. LOWI Drivers: Killer Outcomes + Systemic Collaboration · SPARK: Problem-solving culture, autonomy, decisive action

    6. We Support Strength — Not Entitlement

    We care about well-being. We also believe in resilience. Support means lifting each other to a higher level — not lowering the bar for comfort. LOWI Driver: Respect · SPARK: Balanced emotional climate, well-being with performance

    7. We Represent the Standard

    BPI doesn't just talk about the future of work — we power it. We are the strategy, science, and system behind Most Loved Workplace®. We don't just study best practices — we live them. LOWI Driver: Positive Vision for the Future · SPARK: Pride in mission, emotional connection to brand

    8. We Deliver Results That Delight — Inside and Out

    We don't just complete tasks — we create outcomes that exceed expectations. Our goal is not satisfaction — it's delight.

    • Communicate clearly and proactively
    • Deliver early and better than promised
    • Anticipate needs before they're voiced
    • Be emotionally intelligent in how we show up
    • Take pride in how we deliver — not just what

    Every outcome should say: "You mattered to us." LOWI Driver: Killer Outcomes · SPARK: Client loyalty, peer feedback, elevated quality perception

    9. We Embody the Research, the Vision, and the Standard

    We represent the system that redefines how the world measures and builds emotionally connected, high-performing workplaces. Respect is mutual: employers deserve it as much as employees — and neither side should exploit the other. We live the research created by Louis Carter as a way of operating — with emotional intelligence, structure, balance, and pride in what we stand for. If we are asking the world to become Most Loved Workplaces®, we must love, live, and lead that standard every day. LOWI Drivers: Alignment of Values + Respect · SPARK: Brand embodiment, leadership integrity, internal credibility

    10. Team Unity Over Self-Preservation — No Lone Wolves

    We don't hoard knowledge, protect turf, or let ego get in the way of progress. Collaboration, transparency, and mutual support win. Individual success never outweighs team success.

    11. Radical Candor (High-Care, High-Challenge) — Say What Needs to Be Said

    We care enough to challenge each other directly. Clear, respectful, honest feedback — never passive-aggressive, never sugar-coated, never personal. Feedback is a gift, and growth is the goal.

    12. Protect Your Focus

    Stay ruthless with your time. Cut distractions. Say no to unnecessary meetings. Your job is not to stay busy — it's to stay productive and deliver results that move the needle.

    13. Escalate With Purpose

    If something is stuck — escalate it fast, directly, and with solutions in hand. Don't let silence, guessing, or politicking slow us down.

    14. Mindset of Service — We're Here to Serve, Not Impress

    Whether it's a teammate, client, or vendor, we show up to create value — not posture. That's how we lead. We are servant-leaders for each other and our clients, drawing on Larry Spears' ten characteristics of servant leadership: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others, and building community.

    15. Performance Over Position

    You are measured by what you deliver — not how long you've been here or what title you hold. Respect is earned through results and behavior.

    16. Leave Every Interaction Better Than You Found It

    Whether it's a call, meeting, or message — your job is to create clarity, confidence, or progress. No dead air. No confusion. No wasted time.

    17. Stay Agile in Learning. Drop the Ego.

    If you already know everything, you're in the wrong place. Growth requires curiosity, humility, and the ability to hear advice without getting defensive. Rigidity kills progress. Openness drives success.

    Additional Success Competencies

    • Strategic Speed — Move fast and smart. Prioritize what drives results.
    • Execution — Ideas are worthless without follow-through. Finish what you start.
    • Discipline with Time — Be on time. Every meeting, every deliverable. No exceptions.
    • Accountability — Own your role. No excuses, no deflection.
    • Honesty & Integrity — Act like it's your name on the door. Because here, it is.
    • Validate, Verify, Iterate — Your work is not done until it's been checked, tested, and confirmed. Always follow up.

    Organizational Values

    Let's do this. Knock it out. Knock out the noise. Let's make it happen.

    — Louis Carter, Founder & CEO, Best Practice Institute

    Drive Excellence — "Own It"

    • Step up without being asked — see it, own it, solve it
    • Come ready to crush it every day — your A-game is the only game
    • Become the best version of your authentic self
    • Keep learning and bring fresh ideas — good enough isn't good enough
    • Turn feedback into fuel for growth — no blame, just better
    • Push past comfortable — that's where great happens
    • Use "Maybe we can" as a way to respect ideas

    Create Customer Value

    • Understand and believe in the BPI / MLW vision and mission
    • Know your stuff inside and out — you can't wow without knowing what makes us special
    • Make everyone feel special — customers and teammates alike
    • Create moments worth talking about — exceed expectations every time
    • Stay one step ahead — solve needs before they're asked
    • Create Wow Moments — deliver unexpected, exceptional experiences people remember and share

    Deliver Results — "Make It Real"

    • Finish what you start — 100% completion matters
    • Ruthlessly prioritize — fewer things, faster, to 100% completion
    • Adopt an agile mindset: what did I accomplish yesterday, what will I do today, what's in my way?
    • See a problem? Drive the solution — gather ideas and make it happen
    • See it through their eyes — check quality from the user's perspective
    • Inspect what you expect — delegating isn't done until it's checked
    • Be the champion of getting it done right, not just done fast

    Get It Done — "Make It Happen"

    Don't let excuses get in your way. It is one thing to do work. It is quite another to get results. Follow through continuously and unashamedly. In tennis, golf, baseball — follow-through is what gets the home run. Don't knock on doors — break them down, and follow through once you're inside until you get exactly what you want, quickly.

    The Standard We Hold Ourselves To

    Driving the global Most Loved Workplace® movement starts with how we lead ourselves. We don't just measure culture — we create it. We don't just power high-performing workplaces — we are one.

    These behaviors are drawn from the research, the books, and the conversations that built the SPARK Model and the Love of Workplace Index™. They are the behaviors of real success — the ones that build winning cultures, unstoppable teams, and lasting impact.

    This is what it means to set the standard. This is what it means to live it.

    Looking for something else? Visit the About hub or contact our team.

    Best Practice Institute

    Best Practice Institute is the research organization behind Most Loved Workplace® certification, the SPARK Model, the Love of Workplace Index™ (LOWI™), and The Workplace Report.

    The Workplace Report

    The Workplace Report is BPI's original workplace culture research and editorial briefing series for CEOs, CHROs, people leaders, talent leaders, and employer-brand teams. It turns BPI's 25 years of research, Most Loved Workplace® certification data, SPARK findings, and current workforce signals into practical analysis leaders can use.

    The report format includes executive summaries, research-backed articles, company examples, methodology notes, and practical implications for retention, hiring, culture, leadership, and employee experience. New research and analysis is published on an ongoing editorial cadence at /workplace-report.