There are no shortage of brand building theories in circulation today. I’ve heard my fair share, but few have compared to the education I got last week during a breakout session at Silicon Slopes Tech Summit. Jeff Kearl (co-founder of Stance) and Ken Block (co-founder of DC Shoes) were having a conversation about branding.

Eventually the conversation turned to the impact employees and culture have on a brand. Block told a story about a lesson he learned the hard way. A low ranking employee with a bad attitude had irritated some influencers the company was trying to court. The situation was eventually smoothed out, but not until Block personally intervened. He concluded the story by saying, “The cheapest employee at your company still represents you 100%.” When an employee behaves badly, it reflects badly on your brand, no matter how low ranking they might be.

Block’s story highlights the importance of having strong values to guide employees in the thousands of decisions, large and small, that shape a company. Kearl summed it up nicely by saying, “Values create culture, and culture is the leading indicator of brand strength.”

How can you ensure that brand values are shared throughout your organization?

Know thyself. Start with branding 101. Who is your audience? What makes you different than your competition? What is your promise to your customers? Sum up those ideas in a statement of company values, and share that statement with everyone in your company. Run every decision through the filter of your brand values. Be consistently and unapologetically true to what your brand stands for.

Know thine organization. Larry Page personally approves every new hire at Google. In the company’s early days (up to around 500 employees), he actually interviewed every candidate. By taking the time to be intimately involved in the hiring process, Page ensures that every member of his organization goes through Google’s values filter. It also ensures that Page and his hiring managers are on the same page (forgive the pun). There are a myriad of ways a chief executive can stay involved with their company, but being involved in hiring is among the most important and effective.

Change perspectives. It is important that your employees see themselves as important to the success of the brand. This often means doing things to help them change their perspective. For example, Jeff Kearl told us, “Our receptionist’s title is Director of First Impressions.” By helping every employee to view themselves as brand ambassadors, Kearl encourages his team to buy into Stance’s values. Give every member of your organization the vision to see themselves as an important part of a values-driven movement, and watch your brand grow.

Treat people well. Disgruntled employees are a liability. You can’t afford to have detractors spoiling your brand from the inside. Treat your people well. Compensate them fairly. Make sure that their tenure at your company is a valuable career move for them. If it’s not working out, fire them as quickly and cleanly as possible, and help them on to their next opportunity with a fair severance package. When the time comes that a great employee leaves for greener pastures, treat them as honored alumni and they will be sure to continue singing your praises (and building your brand) long after they are gone.

Brand building is a complicated art. While the factors that go into creating a great brand are numerous, no factor is as important as the people who make the brand happen. Master the art of developing strong values in your team, and the great brand will follow.