Lesson 2.10

Develop Core Values

In Lesson 2.9, you drafted a Company Mission Statement Profile that defines why your business exists. Now you will define how your business behaves: the operating principles that guide decisions, hiring, and customer relationships.

Purpose

Help the student define the operating principles that shape how the business treats customers, makes decisions, and hires.

Use This When

Use this lesson when:

You feel like you are making inconsistent decisions about how to handle customer issues.
You are hiring your first employee and do not know what traits to look for.
You want to create a brand identity that feels authentic rather than just a marketing slogan.

Before You Start

Think about three specific moments in your business where you had to make a difficult choice. Consider what you prioritized in those moments (e.g., speed vs. quality, honesty vs. profit).

Have ready:

A list of 3-5 past business decisions or “tough calls” you have made.
A brief description of your ideal customer.

Do not share specific customer names or private financial data during this exercise.

Conversation Prompt

Help me move past generic buzzwords like “integrity” or “excellence” and find the actual operating principles that drive my business. I will tell you about 3-5 difficult decisions I have made in my business so far. For each one, I will share what I chose to prioritize and why. After I share those, ask me follow-up questions one at a time to help us find patterns and draft 3-5 core values that act as a compass for my future decisions, hiring, and customer interactions.

Do not invent my business history, decisions, or priorities. If anything I share is unclear or incomplete, ask me before proceeding.

Here are my difficult decisions and priorities:

[Paste your descriptions of 3-5 difficult business decisions and what you prioritized in each here.]

Dobie Tip

Core values are only useful if they are “actionable.” If a value does not help you say “no” to a customer or a project, it is probably just a decoration. Aim for values that create a clear boundary.

Follow-Up Questions

“How would these values change the way you handle a customer who is demanding a refund for a valid reason?”

“If you were hiring a new team member tomorrow, which of these values would be a non- negotiable for them?”

“Which of these values feels the hardest to uphold when you are under a tight deadline?”

“Can you think of a time when you acted against these values? What caused that friction?”

Expected Result

By the end of this lesson, you should have:

A list of 3-5 specific, actionable core values.
A clear understanding of how these values influence daily decision-making.
A foundation for future hiring and brand communication.

Save This

Save your completed work as a Business Core Values & Decision Compass.

Include:

List of 3-5 Core Values
Example of a “Hard Choice” guided by these values
Hiring criteria derived from these values
Date or version reviewed
Evidence label for each claim: Confirmed / Observed / Inferred / Unknown

These are the operating principles that guide your business behavior and culture.

Why This Matters

Without core values, every new decision requires a fresh burst of mental energy. When you have a set of operating principles, you can outsource the “thinking” to your values. It reduces decision fatigue and ensures that your business stays consistent even when you are tired, stressed, or busy.

Common Mistakes

Choosing generic buzzwords like “integrity” or “excellence” that do not create clear boundaries.
Letting AI invent values that do not match your actual behavior or past decisions.
Creating values that sound good but you have never actually acted on when under pressure.
Having too many values to remember or use in real decisions.
Writing values for marketing instead of operational guidance.

Coming Up Next

Lesson 3.1: Separate Facts from Preferences

We will move from the “why” of your business to the “what” by learning how to separate your personal preferences from the objective facts of your business model.