What your team really thinks about your values…

Hello again,

A couple of months ago, a startup founder sent me this message:

“Two of our longest-serving (and ‘best’) people just quit. Their exit interviews were… stilted. But a mutual contact told me their real reasons: They said we are hypocrites. That our ‘radical transparency’ is leadership speak for ‘we’ll tell you what we want you to know, and when. Otherwise, we’ll just say nothing.’ How do we know what our team really thinks when they’re afraid to tell us or me?”

This founder isn’t alone and this is not an isolated incident. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Your team has opinions about your leadership that you’ll never hear in meetings, one-on-ones or exit interviews.

[Side note: I’ll be writing soon about the ‘symptoms’ you’ll see if there are problems you suspect but no-one is speaking up.]

The more (even perceived) power you have, the less truth reaches you. But what if there was a way to change that?

The Problem: The Honesty Gap

At Mission Equality, we’ve worked with numerous values-driven organisations and we’ve discovered something worrying:

The higher up you are, the bigger the gap between what your team thinks and what they tell you.

The Silence Tax:

52% of employees have been subjected to or observed inappropriate behaviour in the workplace (HR Acuity, 2023)
58% chose to remain silent about these incidents (Work Shield, 2023).
27.8% cite fear of retaliation as the reason for not reporting (AllVoices, 2021)
39% lack confidence their concerns will be addressed fairly (HR Acuity, 2025)

The Hidden Costs:

Organisations with weak culture have 48.4% turnover vs. 13.9% with strong culture (Columbia University)
Well-aligned cultures improve productivity by 25% (LSA Global)
Research shows ‘very little overlap’ between what leaders think they need to improve and what their teams actually see as problems (Strategy+Business)
“Culture problems” that could be solved in months fester for years
Mission-driven organisations lose credibility when values and actions don’t align

Your team knows, sees and feels the gaps. Your former team members definitely see them. But you? You’re flying without information that could change everything.

Introducing Ethixly: Anonymous Feedback, Real Change

After nearly 5 years of watching brilliant leaders struggle with this honesty gap, we’ve built something different, to help.

Ethixly isn’t another engagement survey.

It’s the first anonymous, values-based feedback platform designed specifically for founders and leaders who actually want to close the gap between their stated values and their team’s lived culture.

Here’s how it works:

🔒 Complete Anonymity Current and former team members (up to 2 years) can share honest feedback without fear of retaliation or identification.

⚡ Values-Based Structure Instead of generic questions, feedback is mapped directly to YOUR core values. So insights are immediately actionable.

🎯 Pattern Recognition We don’t just collect feedback – we identify trends and information gaps that help you see what you can’t see.

📊 Leadership Dashboard Get anonymised insights that help you understand how your leadership actually lands with your team.

Why Traditional Feedback Fails

Standard employee surveys:

❌ Anonymous but not safe (teams know responses can be traced)

❌ Generic questions that don’t connect to your specific values

❌ Current employees only (missing crucial exit insights)

❌ Focus on satisfaction, not values alignment.

Using Ethixly:

✅ Genuinely anonymous with external platform security

✅ Can be tailored to YOUR values and culture commitments

✅ Includes former employees (where the truly honest feedback lives)

✅ Focus on integrity and values alignment, not just happiness

Soft Launch Pilot: Join the ethixly Beta!

We’re ready to soft launch Ethixly with a small group of integrity-driven leaders.

What You Get as a Pilot Partner:

💡 Founder Support Package (Worth £1,500)

1-on-1 onboarding with our team
Custom dashboard setup
Direct feedback line to our product team
Monthly insights review call with our founding team
Priority feature requests

Pilot Pricing: Early Adopter Special

Because you’re part of our Mission Equality community and willing to help us refine the platform:

Instead of £199/month (Growth Plan), Pilot Partners Pay:

£99/month for 3 months

Then £149/month ongoing (25% lifetime discount)

Plus:

No custom setup fees (usually from £500)
Free values alignment consultation after your 2nd month (usually from £750)
Guaranteed beta feature access
Direct input on product development

Limited to first 5 organisations only.

Is This Right for You?

The ethixly pilot is perfect for you if:

✅ You’re a founder/leader of a values-driven organisation (startup, NGO, social enterprise)

✅ You suspect there’s a gap between your stated values and team experience

✅ You’ve lost good people and you’re not entirely sure why

✅ You want honest feedback more than comfortable feedback

✅ You’re willing to act on what you learn (this isn’t about collecting data – it’s about driving change)

✅ You have 5-50 team members (current beta capacity)

What Pilot Partners Are Saying

“A valuable if brutal way to get feedback without putting people’s jobs at risk. The insights were uncomfortable but absolutely necessary.” – Founder, Climate Justice Startup

“We thought we were walking our talk. Ethixly showed us where we were just talking. Game-changing.” – Executive Director, Social Justice NGO

How to Join the Beta

Step 1: Apply for Pilot Access Complete our 3-minute application to see if you’re a good fit for the beta program. Apply here →

Step 2: Values Mapping Session
We’ll spend 45 minutes understanding your values and setting up your custom feedback framework.

Step 3: Team Onboarding We help you introduce ethixly to your team in a way that builds trust and encourages participation.

Step 4: Start Receiving Insights Within 2 weeks, you’ll start getting anonymised feedback mapped to your specific values.

Apply Now: Limited Beta Access

Ready to close the honesty gap and align your culture with your values?

Apply for Beta Access – Only 5 Spots Available →

Or reply to this email with “PILOT READY” and we’ll send the application link directly to your inbox.

The Cost of Not Knowing

Every month you operate without honest feedback:

You lose values-aligned talent to competitors who walk their talk
You make decisions based on incomplete information
You miss opportunities to course-correct before problems become crises
You risk your reputation when values-reality gaps become public

The question isn’t whether your team has feedback about your leadership. The question is: Are you brave enough to hear it?

Why We Built Ethixly

At Mission Equality, we believe that values-driven organisations can change the world. But only if they actually live their values.

Too many brilliant leaders are failing not because they don’t care, but because they don’t know. They’re making decisions in an information vacuum while their teams watch the gap between values and actions grow wider.

Ethixly exists to close that gap. To give leaders the honest feedback they need to become the leaders their teams deserve.

Secure Your Beta Access Now →

…And For the Skeptics

“But won’t anonymous feedback just become a complaints box?”

Great question. That’s why ethixly is values-based, not grievance-based. Every piece of feedback is structured around your specific values commitments. It’s not about complaints – it’s about alignment.

Our data so far shows that the majority of feedback includes constructive suggestions, not just criticisms. People want to help their organisations succeed. They just need a safe way to do it. We are also on hand to help guide those who submit ‘less than constructive’ feedback to re-submit their feedback in a way that helps rather than hinders.

Join the Beta – Transform Your Culture →

In solidarity and transparency,

Lea

Founder, Mission Equality & Ethixly