No one is perfect, but things generally go better for us if we try to live our values. The reason becomes apparent when we make the mistake of saying one thing and doing another. People hate hypocrisy and double standards. It corrodes trust and generates cynicism. When a chief executive says, ‘We care about our people,’ but the organisation is a soul-crushing machine, the staff will repay that with low productivity, resistance to change, sick leave and moving to another job as soon as they can. In the West, we say we believe in freedom, democracy and fairness. It is essential that we walk the talk. When we don’t, others are rightly angry with us. That breach of trust takes years, sometimes generations to overcome. Part of the problem is that we are not honest about our values in the first place, and so when we act authentically according to our actual values, people are disappointed in us. We should try being more honest. The chief executive could say, ‘We value our people, but profits come first.’ Western governments could say, ‘We value democracy and human rights but we value security more.’ People would respect the honesty and not be surprised when we act accordingly. Religions that preach righteousness while colluding with or covering up paedophilia, corruption and terrorism must clean themselves up.