When Values Don’t Match Behavior (And No One’s Technically Doing Anything Wrong)

There’s this uniquely frustrating moment in leadership—when your team is hitting their targets, following protocols, and “doing their jobs”… but something still doesn’t sit right.

It’s not chaos. It’s not open defiance. It’s just off.

That’s what this week’s Owner’s Room episode on the Culture Focused Practice Podcast is all about. I talk through one of the most quietly disruptive dynamics I see in group practices: the mismatch between behavior and values.

You know the one. People show up. They smile. They nod in meetings. They meet the bare minimums. But your gut is whispering, “This isn’t it.”

So what do you do?

This episode isn’t a strategy session. It’s a riff. It’s five unscripted questions I walked through out loud, including:

• How do I balance clarity and grace?

• Do I even know what I want it to look like instead?

• Is this a communication issue, a training issue, or a values mismatch?

• Am I scared of being seen as controlling?

• What story am I telling myself about why this is happening?

And then I unpack a scenario that hits home for so many leaders: you’ve built a value of transparency into everything—your hiring language, your onboarding, your meetings. But suddenly, your team has gone quiet. No one speaks up. No one challenges. They’re nodding along… and you’re wondering, “Is this on me?”

The truth is, values misalignment is a slow creep. It doesn’t always explode in conflict. Sometimes, it just dulls everything into compliance.

The remedy? Not more rules. Not more pressure. But curiosity, clarity, and honest reflection.

This episode walks through how I would actually handle that scenario in my own group practice—from one-on-one conversations with trusted team members to global messaging and leadership adjustments. It’s not polished. It’s not perfect. But it’s real.

If you’ve been sitting in that uncomfortable space between “something’s off” and “I can’t prove it”—you’re not alone. And there’s a way forward.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here.
💡 And if this kind of reflection is your jam, join us inside the Inside the Living Practice Membership. It’s built for leaders like you who are done with performative culture and want the real stuff.

About the Author

Dr. Tara Vossenkemper is a gently-candid consultant who’s been in the trenches of group practice ownership since 2017. With a hearty blend of depth, irreverence, and a solid dash of humor (or so she hopes), Tara helps practice owners navigate the can-be-messy process of hiring, culture-building, vision generating, people-y issues, and all the other things that keep you up at night. When she’s not consulting, she’s probably wrangling her animals or homeschooling her kids—because why not add more chaos to the mix?

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