Card

Core company values

Core company values are the key beliefs and principles that guide how a company and its team operate and make decisions.

What challenges does this help with?

I'd put Core company values on your radar and read on, if you're facing these challenges:

  •

    Failed transformations occur when attempts to adapt or improve a product or process result in setbacks or do not achieve the desired outcomes. Learn more

  • Low employee motivation occurs when team members lack enthusiasm and drive to effectively contribute to product development efforts. Learn more

  • Low transparency means people don’t know what product teams are working on, and whether they’re generating impact or not. Learn more

  • Distrust between tech and business teams happens when these groups don't communicate well, leading to misunderstandings and slowed project progress. Learn more

  • The most common issues within the organization. You probably won’t be able to get rid of this, once you have a scale, but you can (and should) try to fight it as hard as possible. Learn more

Core company values is a list of guiding principles defining what a company stands for, how it operates, makes decisions, and treats employees and customers. These values are more than posters on the wall—they're behaviors and standards everyone in the organization should live by.

Core values create a strong foundation for company culture, team alignment, and long-term success when clearly defined and lived by. Hell, they can attract specific talent and create focus points you need. It's a very powerful but underplayed practice.

Defining Core Values

To define core values, consider what truly matters to your company beyond profits. Is it innovation, customer-first thinking, or integrity? The profits will be a side-effect of your directed work. Effective values should be actionable and specific to your company's mission and goals.

For example, a tech company might value "constant learning" to encourage innovation, while a healthcare organization might prioritize "compassion" to focus on patient care. Selecting values that align closely with your company's unique purpose is the key.

Examples of Core Values

Core values can vary widely depending on the organization. Here are a few common examples and what they represent:

  1. Customer Focus: Making customer satisfaction the priority in all decisions and actions.
  2. Integrity: Acting with honesty and transparency, which builds trust both internally and with customers.
  3. Teamwork: Valuing collaboration over competition within the company, encouraging a sense of unity.
  4. Innovation: Encouraging creativity and the willingness to try new approaches to drive progress.
  5. Accountability: Owning up to responsibilities and being reliable, building a culture of trust and respect.
  6. Respect: Valuing each person's contributions and perspectives, creating a positive and inclusive workplace.
  7. Sustainability: Prioritizing environmental and social responsibility in all business practices.
  8. Empathy: Understanding and considering others' feelings and perspectives in every interaction.
  9. Excellence: Striving for high-quality outcomes in every task and project.
  10. Transparency: Sharing information openly to build trust within the team and with clients.
  11. Adaptability: Being open to change and resilient in facing new challenges.
  12. Continuous Improvement: Always seeking ways to improve skills, processes, and products.
  13. Passion: Approaching work with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to make a difference.
  14. Community Engagement: Giving back and staying actively involved in local or global communities.

Living the Values

Now, this is important. You have to live these values. Otherwise, they're the cringy corporate posters people will make fun of when they are rarely (or forcefully) in the office.

Values must be reflected in day-to-day actions, from hiring to performance reviews, to make a true impact. They need to be part of your company's DNA.

Leaders play a critical role: they must lead by example, consistently demonstrating these values and showing the team what these principles look like in practice.

Test for these values when hiring, and score how people live by them in performance management exercises.

That's how you make them true.

Values-Driven Decisions

Core values guide decision-making, especially in difficult situations.

For instance, when a team has to choose between speed and quality, the value of "excellence" might tip the balance toward quality. If you're a marketplace, which side should you favor - seller or buyer? Tell that by values, for example, "customer-first."

Values can also help a company stand firm on ethical grounds, even if it means passing up specific business opportunities.

Adapting and Evolving Values

Values aren't set in stone; they should evolve as a company grows or changes. Periodic reviews ensure that core values still reflect the company's goals and purpose. For example, a startup might begin with a strong emphasis on "bold risk-taking," but as it matures, it might add "customer trust" as a new focus. Updating values keeps them relevant and ensures they remain authentic to the company's culture.

When core values are clearly defined and consistently practiced, they become a unifying force that enhances productivity, strengthens loyalty, and attracts like-minded talent. They are a true asset for building a strong, aligned, and purpose-driven company.

Want to work on this?

Want to work on Core company values in your team or company?

Your deck stores the challenges and solutions you're working on, tracks your progress, and recommends other cards you can adopt.

Linked cards

Here are other practices related to Core company values:

  •

    Company mission answers why do you exist as a company. Learn more

  • “Trust over control” principle emphasizes empowering teams with autonomy and decision-making authority, fostering a culture of trust rather than stringent control. Learn more

  • Principle over process emphasizes the importance of adhering to core values and guidelines rather than rigidly following procedures. Learn more

  • Team charter defines team mission statement, value stream they’re working on, their KPI list and the services they’re owning. Learn more

  • A manager’s readme is a document where managers share their leadership style, expectations, and how they prefer to communicate with their team. Learn more

  • Team health checks are repeated assessments used to measure the performance and well-being of a team over time. Learn more

  • Empowered Autonomous Teams can decide what to build to solve they problem they're being assigned, without any excessive oversight. Learn more

  • Innovation over predictability emphasizes the value of creative, novel solutions over routine, predictable outcomes in product development. Learn more

  • A role registry is a central list that defines and manages the different roles within a team or organization, clarifying responsibilities and expectations. Learn more

  • Your customers are your business therefore, obsessing over them must be at the core of your culture in order to succeed. Learn more

Learn more

Here are some useful links if you want to learn more:

Hope that's useful!

Piotr Kacała