The Hidden Gap Diagnostic

What Is The Hidden Gap?

Most organisations have values. Most leaders believe in them.

And yet — under pressure, in the moments that actually matter — something else tends to take over. Decisions get made that quietly contradict what was agreed. Conversations that needed to happen get avoided. People align in meetings and disagree in corridors.

That distance — between the values you declare and the values that actually govern behaviour — is the hidden gap.

It exists in every human system. It costs more than most people realise. And once you can see it clearly, you cannot unsee it.

This diagnostic helps you locate it precisely — in yourself, your team, or your organisation. It uses the Values Integrity Model (VIM) developed by Mark Buchan over more than twenty years of working inside organisations where the gap was quietly doing its damage.

⏱ Takes about four minutes

Step 1 of 6

Where Does The Gap Show Up Most?

Choose the context where you feel the distance between what you value and how you actually operate most clearly.

🧭 My Leadership How I show up with my team — what I model, what I avoid

🏢 My Organisation The gap between what we say we stand for and how we actually operate

🤝 Work Relationships With colleagues, stakeholders, or people I find difficult

🪞 My Personal Life How I live my values outside work — in family, relationships, choices

Step 2 of 6

What Matters To You?

Select up to 5 values that feel most alive or most contested in your current situation. Or add your own — these are yours, not a list to perform.

0 selected

Step 3 of 6

Do You Name These?

For each value — do you openly claim it? Name it to others? Or does it operate more in the background without being declared?

Step 4 of 6

Do You Live These?

Honestly now. Not what you intend — what actually happens when pressure rises and something real is at stake.

"A value isn't a preference. It's what you are willing to pay for."

Step 5 of 6

What Does The Gap Feel Like?

The gap usually announces itself as a signal before it becomes a problem. What have you been noticing — however small?

"The signal is rarely loud. It may be a flicker of discomfort. A slight hesitation before speaking."

Describe what you have been noticing

Step 6 of 6

Almost There

Your Hidden Gap profile is ready. Enter your name and email to see it — and to receive the occasional piece of genuinely useful thinking from Mark.

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Your Hidden Gap Profile

Based on your Values Integrity Map.

Go Deeper

This diagnostic is the beginning. The Hidden Gap gives you the complete framework — the VIM, ECHO, the Inner Coach, and the Choice Triangle — with the practical tools to close the gap for good.

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