Top culture
Core values as a compass for a successful company culture
Key takeaways
- Core values create focus and cohesion; they help make choices, even when the organisation grows or changes quickly.
- They are the foundation of culture and behaviour; values give people and leaders something to hold on to in collaboration and decision-making.
- Values make growth durable; without shared values you get friction, turnover and loss of identity.
- Real core values are felt; they live in behaviour, language and decisions, not just marketing copy.
- Leaders set the example; culture starts at the top and leaders show daily what the values mean.
Every founder has core values. Most just do not have them on paper.
They sit in how you make decisions, who you hire, who you let go, which clients you embrace and which you do not. In the beginning that works fine; you are the company, and your gut is the compass. But the moment you grow, that gut becomes a bottleneck.
Because new colleagues cannot smell what you smell. They need a yardstick. And that is exactly what good core values are: a yardstick that reads the same for everyone in the company, even when you are not in the room.
Why core values are not what you think
Most core values I encounter at companies are marketing. "Innovative, committed, people-focused." That kind of thing. No founder would be against them, which is precisely why they say nothing.
Real core values are hiring criteria, firing criteria and decision criteria. They are confronting. They exclude things. A core value that never feels uncomfortable once is not a core value but a wish.
At Glasnost one of our core values, for example, was that we were always at the front of what was happening in the world. Sounds innocent. But it also meant we sometimes parted ways with perfectly good colleagues who could not keep that pace. And we turned away clients who only wanted to follow.
How to formulate good core values
Good core values are not something you invent, but something you discover. They are already in your business — you just need to surface them.
My approach: look at the people who have been performing longest and best. What do they have in common? Not in education or background, but in how they work, how they decide, how they treat each other. Your core values are in there.
Then look at the people where it did not work. What patterns do you see? What clashed with the culture you actually wanted to build?
Three to five core values is enough. No one remembers more. And make sure they are active — so no abstract concepts but behaviour you can recognise on the work floor.
The difference between steering and preserving
Many founders think they steer the culture. In reality, the culture builds itself, and you only steer the frame.
What you can do: be consistent. Core values only work if they weigh in on every decision. Hiring conversation? Test on core values. Performance review? Test on core values. Client choice? Test on core values. Strategic decision? Test on core values.
If you do not, they are stickers on the wall. If you do, they become the compass on which you can navigate the entire business — even when you are not there.
And precisely that — a business that keeps heading the right way without you — is ultimately what scaling is about.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about core values
What exactly are core values?
Core values are the deepest beliefs that determine how an organisation thinks and acts. They form the foundation for culture, collaboration and decision-making.Why are core values important for company culture?
Because culture is the behaviour of people, and behaviour is driven by values. Core values give direction to how work happens, not just what gets achieved.How do you determine the right core values?
Look at what your organisation stands for and is proud of. Involve people, observe behaviour and ask questions like: what do we say no to, what makes us happy, and what defines us as a team? That way you discover values that already live, instead of invented slogans.How do you translate core values into practice?
Use them in hiring and review conversations, in decision-making, in communication and customer contact, and in reward and feedback moments.What happens when core values are missing or unclear?
Without clear values you get conflicting expectations, silos and distrust. Decisions feel arbitrary and people drop out faster.
Definitions
- Core values
- The fundamental beliefs that determine how an organisation thinks and acts. The moral and cultural compass for decisions.
- Company culture
- The shared values, beliefs and behaviours within an organisation. A strong culture creates cohesion, trust and consistency.
- Ownership
- The extent to which colleagues feel responsible for their work and the results of the company.