Here’s our definition of a weaponized value: it’s the manipulation of an espoused value to disempower, or in extreme cases, harm someone. It’s the opposite of leadership in that it’s all about the weaponizer and their own interests. A weaponized value dresses up a new belief in the guise of an old one. It changes the meaning of what is true without the rest of the organization’s consent. For example, we worked with one company that listed “default to trust” among its core values. This phrase was meant to remind everyone to give each other the benefit of the doubt, a noble idea, but it began to
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