How does the Team Core Values Generator work?

It guides you to identify, define, and apply authentic values, turning them into actionable principles woven into daily operations.

How do I choose the right core values for my startup?

Selecting core values begins with reflecting on your mission, vision, and the behaviors you want to encourage within your team. Identify the principles that have already guided your best decisions and moments of success. Avoid generic terms unless they are truly central to your culture, and tie each value to specific, real-world behaviors so they are easy to live by and hard to forget.

How many core values should a team have?

Ideally, three to six. This keeps them memorable, actionable, and relevant without becoming overwhelming.

Core Values

Every thriving team has a heartbeat - an unspoken rhythm that shapes how people work, decide, and grow together. That rhythm is powered by core values: the shared beliefs that guide your culture, influence every decision, and unite your people when challenges hit. They’re not slogans for a wall, but the principles that show up in daily actions, conversations, and choices.

With the Team Core Values Generator, you’ll uncover and articulate the values that make your team unique, turning them into a living framework that inspires, aligns, and strengthens your culture from day one.

Learning Materials

What Are Core Values?

Core values are the non-negotiable truths your organization stands on - the beliefs you protect at all costs because they define who you are. They set the tone for every interaction: how teammates treat each other, how leaders make tough calls, and how your brand is perceived beyond your walls.

Think of them as your company’s moral and operational compass:

Culturally - They define the personality of your workplace and how people feel when they’re part of it.
Strategically - They guide major business decisions, from partnerships to product direction.
Operationally - They influence how you run meetings, give feedback, and handle challenges.

The core values of a team should be so clear and ingrained that anyone in your company could make a decision in a leader’s absence, and still act in line with the organization’s identity.

Core Values Examples

Picture your team making a tough decision under pressure. There’s no time to check a manual or call a meeting - they simply act, guided by shared principles everyone understands. Those are your core values in action.

Here’s a list of core values you can draw inspiration from:

Integrity - Choosing honesty and transparency, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Collaboration - Valuing every voice and building solutions together.
Innovation - Embracing creativity, experimentation, and smart risk-taking.
Accountability - Owning both successes and failures without passing the blame.
Customer Obsession - Prioritizing customer needs in every product, service, or interaction.
Continuous Learning - Seeking feedback, staying curious, and growing every day.

A powerful list of company core values isn’t just a poster on the wall - it’s a living guide that shapes behavior. When each value is tied to clear, observable actions, they stop being abstract words and start becoming habits your team lives by.

Benefits of the Team Core Values Generator

Core values shape everything from how you make decisions to how you resolve conflicts, hire new people, and celebrate success. Yet, many teams struggle to define them in a way that’s both inspiring and actionable. The Team Core Values Generator solves this by taking you through a guided process that blends reflection, collaboration, and clarity. It transforms vague ideals into a focused set of principles your team can actually live by.

Here’s how it elevates the process:

Clarifies your team’s identity - Instead of recycling generic “integrity, innovation, excellence” statements, you uncover values that are specific to your company’s personality, mission, and vision.
Builds alignment across the team - Every member, from founders to interns, understands what the values mean and how they apply to their role, creating unity without stifling individuality.
Turns words into action - Each value comes with clear, real-world examples of what it looks like in daily behavior, making them easy to follow and hard to forget.
Strengthens decision-making - With well-defined values, choices - from hiring to partnerships - become faster and more consistent because everyone uses the same compass.
Integrates into daily operations - Values aren’t just printed in a handbook; they’re woven into onboarding, goal-setting, performance reviews, and internal communications, ensuring they stay relevant over time.

When your core values are defined with this level of precision and authenticity, they don’t just describe your culture - they actively shape it, guiding every decision, interaction, and long-term move your company makes.

FAQs

Core values are the fundamental beliefs that define a company’s identity, guiding how people work, make decisions, and interact both internally and externally. They act as a cultural, strategic, and operational compass shaping everything from daily behaviors to long-term business choices. These values are not just aspirational statements; they are principles lived out in actions, conversations, and decisions across the organization.