Company Values

---
name: company-values
description: Use when defining company values and culture for a business
tags: [values, culture, hiring, minimalist-business]
related_skills: [find-community, grow-sustainably, processize]
---

# Company Values

## Core Principle

**Focus on culture before hiring.** Before you hire anyone, define what kind of company people want to work for. Values are how you do that. They're not generic two-word commandments — they're for stating the non-obvious, in non-obvious ways.

## Why Values Matter

- Values tell employees how to behave every day AND in extreme situations
- They attract the right people and repel the wrong ones
- They let you hold yourself AND your team accountable
- Values supersede you. They allow the company to scale beyond your personal involvement.

## How to Create Your Own Values

1. **What do you believe that most people don't?** Values should be non-obvious and sometimes polarizing.
2. **How should people behave when no one is watching?** Values are for moments without a manager present.
3. **What would you fire someone for, even if they're performing well?** That reveals your true values.
4. **What would you celebrate, even if it didn't directly help the bottom line?**
5. **Write them as stories, not slogans.** Nordstrom accepting tire returns at a clothing store communicates a value through story.

## Code Example: Values Draft

```
Value 1: Judged by the Work
- What matters is the experience customers have
- Everything we ship is of highest quality, reviewed by multiple people
- It should be considered a failure to receive feedback after shipping

Value 2: Everyone is a CEO
- You are the CEO of your function
- Think like an owner, not an employee
- If someone needs to ask how things are going, they're not going well
```

## Common Pitfalls

| Pitfall | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| Generic values ("integrity," "teamwork") | Make values specific and polarizing |
| Values without stories | Communicate through example, not slogan |
| Creating values after hiring | Define before you hire anyone |
| Values that never change | Revisit and evolve values as company grows |

## Verification Checklist

- [ ] 3-5 values defined with descriptions
- [ ] Each value has an example story
- [ ] Values are specific and non-generic
- [ ] Hiring implications defined per value
- [ ] Day-to-day behavior defined per value
- [ ] Anti-patterns defined per value