Empowering Women’s Impact Through a Values-Driven Workplace

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This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the innovation and success women have achieved—and continue to drive forward. As a certified women-owned agency, Helen + Gertrude knows that when women bring their full, values-driven selves to the table, the work becomes more impactful. We take pride in the culture we’ve built and remain committed to sharing our successes with organizations, leaders, and women dedicated to progress. Recently, we had the privilege of engaging in inspiring conversations at the 2025 Women’s Leadership Summit at RIT—reinforcing our belief that creativity flourishes when shaped by diverse voices and purposeful storytelling.

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Connecting Values to Creativity

Our Production Team Lead, Amy Sadler, and Copywriter, Sammy Boyd, presented “Finding Your Why” at the summit, encouraging the room to dig into their personal driving values. The discussion was focused on the benefits of integrating those core values into company culture to fuel a stronger, more creative workforce.

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At its best, company culture fosters psychological safety, empowering individuals to think creatively, explore new opportunities, and take risks without fear of failure. This sense of freedom cultivates an environment where diverse voices are heard, bold ideas take shape, and true innovation thrives. But before the top of the pyramid is reached, the foundation needs to be set.

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Understanding Your Organizational Purpose

Organizational Purpose guides employees toward a common goal with clear values in play. This blueprint should be evident to both internal and external parties.

Your Organizational Purpose can be distilled into 3 sections: “Why,” “How,” and “What.”  

Here are ours at Helen + Gertrude…

Why - Our Belief: We foster creativity, collaboration, and growth from the beginning of our process- starting with the people. Success is measured not through campaign results alone, but through the enthusiasm of those involved.

How - Our Method: Using a Human-Centered Design approach, our methodology is to maintain an environment that allows employees and brands to unlock their potential. We attract good people and create an empowering, compassionate workplace that promotes cross-team collaboration.

What - Our Services: At Helen + Gertrude, we believe in beautiful work, but more importantly in effective work. We use data and insights to inform every step of our process. Part creative agency. Part media agency. 100% backed by data.

Building Up Your Company Culture Pyramid

Leadership Purpose is identifying the areas where your personal values intersect with the organization’s values. This is where middle managers set the tone of the company culture and lead by example on how to employ it. Individual and teams’ core values are where the fuel for personal fulfillment come in. As a leader, understanding your teammates’ values helps you create opportunities for them to apply those values in their work, even in unexpected ways.

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Bringing Your Team’s Values to Life

1. Align recognition and rewards with individual values to create meaningful appreciation. At Helen + Gertrude, we recognize and respect each other’s preferences. While one person may appreciate a company-wide email celebrating their recent accomplishments, another may prefer a handwritten card on their desk.
2. Adapt communication styles to fit team members' preferences for better collaboration. Different personalities and communication styles don’t necessarily mean friction but rather provide an opportunity for mutual understanding and flexibility. For example, the employee who prefers to absorb information before giving input may appreciate getting meeting materials ahead of time.
3. Offer leadership opportunities that align with personal passions to foster growth. While Sammy isn’t in a management position, she is still a leader. The recent workshop at the RIT Women’s Summit provided an opportunity for her to speak on a topic she is passionate about while gaining worthwhile experience.
4. Strengthen upward management by understanding leadership priorities and work styles. Understanding your team/manager’s values and leadership style helps you find deeper meaning in tasks, leading to clearer direction, stronger outcomes, and better alignment with overall goals.

Identifying your core values and connecting them to your work will ensure you stay on a path that feels true to you as your career develops. At Helen + Gertrude, we use a worksheet from the Barrett Values Centre to identify our core values which ultimately spark conversation for individual goal setting and finding overlaps across teams.

Don’t just take our word for it, studies show aligning your work with your personal values reduces burnout and boosts creative thinking.

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The Power of Diverse Perspectives in Marketing

Diversity in marketing isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a business advantage. When campaigns are crafted by teams that reflect a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and identities, the result is more authentic and resonant storytelling. Women, in particular, bring invaluable insights to the table, shaping narratives that better connect with audiences across industries.

At Helen + Gertrude, we’ve seen firsthand how diverse perspectives fuel creativity and drive success. Whether it’s reimagining how brands speak to their audiences or challenging industry norms, inclusive teams push boundaries and set new standards for meaningful engagement.

We’re committed to fostering an environment where women’s creativity thrives, and we challenge others to do the same. Whether it’s championing women in leadership, amplifying diverse voices, or integrating personal values into workplace culture, every step forward makes a difference.

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