Company core values: How to choose your own

Meaningful company core values rooted in a clear mission shouldn’t feel like empty words.

Using a structured process, you can establish new or improved values that resonate with your team and drive real business results.

In this article, you’ll learn how to create company core values that positively impact your culture and bottom line.

What are company core values?

Core values are the fundamental beliefs and guiding principles that shape a company’s culture and decision-making processes.

These principles define what companies stand for and set expectations for how employees interact with each other and customers.

A company’s core values are usually extensions of its overarching mission. For example, Amazon’s mission statement is to be Earth’s most customer-centric company.

Its four core values (or “guiding principles”) are:

• Customer obsession rather than competitor focus

• Passion for invention

• Commitment to operational excellence

• Long-term thinking

Accounting software Xero’s mission statement is to help small businesses thrive worldwide. Its set of core values encourages team members to:

• Create experiences that customers love

• Move fast on the right things to deliver value

• Care personally and challenge respectfully

• Collaborate to create a positive impact

Each of these organizations chose four core values to represent the company. The number and type of core values you choose will depend on your goals.

How many core values should a company have?

There is no set number of core values companies must have. However, most choose a manageable list (typically between three and seven) to keep them meaningful and actionable.

For example, the design platform Canva has six core values:

• Be a force for good

• Be a good human

• Empower others

• Make complex things simple

• Pursue excellence

• Set crazy big goals

You may limit your values to keep your team and leaders focused on “Hard work”, “Accessibility” and “Open-mindedness” as your three core principles.

However many you choose, here’s why companies put effort into creating them in the first place.

Why are core values in the workplace important?

In today’s competitive landscape, aligning your organization with publicized core principles is crucial for attracting talent and prospective customers.

Here are four ways corporate values positively impact your workplace and wider business:

More informed decision-making

Core values are a framework for making consistent and ethical decisions across your organization.

For example, Patagonia’s commitment to sustainability guides everything it does, from sourcing eco-friendly materials to advocating for environmental causes.

On its 50th anniversary, leaders updated the organization’s core values to include “Quality”, “Integrity”, “Environmentalism”, “Justice” and “Not bound by convention”.

Like Patagonia, each decision and action should reflect your core mission and fit into your company’s chosen principles.

Stronger company culture

Aligning company core values with employees’ personal values creates a more positive work environment.

For example, retailer Zappos promotes 10 core values that guide its interactions with employees, customers, vendors and partners.

Each of these values positions Zappos as offering a positive, encouraging employee experience that could entice potential hires.

Attracting talent that shares your company’s ethos can create a sense of belonging and purpose among your team. These feelings will help people do their best work and facilitate teamwork and bonding, boosting employee retention.

Higher customer trust

Core values that reflect commitments to ethical practices or those that benefit wider society help build customer trust.

For example, ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s openly supports social responsibility and justice issues (e.g., refugee and LGBTQ+ rights).

Promoting equality with values-driven marketing encourages loyalty from those who appreciate their transparency and activism.

Consistently demonstrating your values in communications and service shows you follow through with promises. Being authentic to the principles you promote can boost customer satisfaction and encourage people to keep buying from you.

Gain a competitive advantage

Distinctive core values can differentiate your company from competitors by highlighting unique aspects of your corporate culture and approach.

For example, The Body Shop’s ethical stance of “Forever against animal testing” has distinguished the brand from competitors since 1989.

The initiative strengthens The Body Shop’s brand position as a compassionate cosmetics company.

Your own core values statements can attract more than just best-fit employees. The differentiation can also appeal to customers who align with these principles to drive more sales.

7 B2B company core values examples

Strong company values are the foundation of a successful business’s identity. They can help shape your organizational culture and guide your actions.

Here are seven business-to-business (B2B) examples of company values and how leaders bake them into operations:

1. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a customer relationship management (CRM) tool designed to help sales teams manage leads, track communications and close deals more efficiently. The company primarily focuses on helping small businesses grow and benefit their wider communities.

Pipedrive’s mission statement is to:

Pipedrive also champions its diverse team with as much enthusiasm as it does its customers. Its six company-wide core values include:

• Team first

• Reach for greatness

• No excuses

• Internal drive

• Be teachable

• Don’t ruin other people’s days

For example, Pipedrive lives its “Team first” value by creating a culture of collaboration where there’s always time to celebrate achievements. The company strives to create a positive day-to-day working environment where everyone feels valued and encouraged to contribute.

Additionally, Pipedrive embodies its “Be teachable” value by providing continuous learning opportunities for its employees.

The company’s Internal Coaching team ensures everyone can access the highest-quality LinkedIn Learning courses and mentorship programs for career and personal development.

2. Zapier

Zapier is an automation tool that allows users to connect apps and automate workflows without writing code.

The company’s mission statement is to:

Two of Zapier’s essential focus areas are customer impact and diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging (DEIB).

Therefore, its five core values include:

• Default to action (deliver something real today)

• Default to transparency (work and discuss in public)

• Grow through feedback (commit to continuous learning and improvement)

• Empathy over ego (share perspectives but focus on understanding)

• Build the robot (find automated ways to work better)

For example, Zapier applies its “Grow through feedback” value by encouraging employees to seek assessments of their work from a diverse group (especially those with conflicting views).

The company shares examples and counter-examples for applying each of its core values. Here are the top three for “Default to transparency”.

Zapier’s “Build the robot” value isn’t just related to its customer-facing product. The company also embodies this in its approach to internal processes.

For example, Zapier actively automates repetitive work tasks to free up employees’ time for more meaningful, creative work.

3. Oracle

Oracle is a global technology company that offers cloud services and enterprise software solutions.

According to the company:

Oracle aims to achieve this by promoting three core values:

• Express yourself

• Innovate and grow

• Social impact

For example, Oracle applies its “Innovate and grow” value through its ongoing commitment to the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. These scalable, secure cloud solutions help customers streamline operations and evolve.

The company also empowers its employees by providing learning and career development opportunities.

Team members can access internal talent advisors, specialized career resources and mentorship programs for advice or even to pivot roles into other departments.

Oracle also drives “Social impact” by investing in sustainability initiatives (e.g., pledging to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050).

4. Sage

Sage provides small-to-medium-sized (SMB) businesses with cloud-based accounting, payroll and payment solutions.

Its purpose (mission statement) is “to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive” and become “the trusted network” for SMBs.

Sage’s four core values based on this ambition are:

• Being human through empathy, care and strong connections

• Being bold by being courageous, curious, ambitious and creative

• Creating trust by delivering our promises

• Simplifying by stripping away complexity

For example, Sage applies the “Being human” value through its Sage Foundation. The organization supports global charities and helps employees volunteer for causes they care about.

Sage encourages empathy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to create stronger human connections with employees’ communities.

The company’s more general focus on “Simplifying” its software helps customers navigate financial complexities more easily and achieve their goals.

5. Shopify

Shopify is an e-commerce platform that allows users to create online stores, manage inventory and sell products globally.

Its mission statement is “making commerce better for everyone”. According to Shopify’s site:

Shopify’s mission branches out into six core words:

• Considerate

• Empowering

• Crafted

• Efficient

• Trustworthy

• Familiar

One way the company reflects the “Considerate” value is through inclusive policies. For instance, it ensures merchants from diverse backgrounds are represented throughout the platform.

Its content guidelines also highlight the importance of inclusive language (e.g., don’t label actions or features using “disable” or “disabled”).

Shopify applies its “Empowering” value by supporting business owners through the Shopify Academy.

Here, merchants can access free expert guides and courses to help them get the most out of the platform.

6. Typeform

Typeform allows users to create engaging and interactive online forms, customer surveys and quizzes.

Here’s the brand’s mission statement:

Typeform has five core values based on this mission:

• Start from empathy

• Make a difference

• Bring joy to the journey

• Own it

• Win together

For example, Typeform strives to “Make a difference” by creating intuitive customer experiences that give businesses meaningful insights.

The company also encourages a culture of ownership and collaboration among its teams and online community, enabling them to “Win together”.

Typeform also focuses on user-centric design to apply its values. By “Starting from empathy”, Typeform ensures its products are functional and enjoyable to use.

During the pandemic, the company also demonstrated empathy by offering employees free therapy sessions through the online mental health service Spill.

7. Slack

Slack is a collaboration hub and messaging platform that streamlines team communication and integrates with other third-party tools.

According to the company:

In line with this mission, Slack lives by six core values:

• Empathy

• Courtesy

• Thriving

• Craftsmanship

• Playfulness

• Solidarity

For example, Slack champions “Solidarity” by encouraging teams to participate in employee resource groups (ERGs). The company offers both private safe spaces and public channels for these groups.

To keep teams “Thriving”, Slack offers benefits like healthcare coverage and holistic programs for well-being and family planning.

The platform promotes “Playfulness” with features like custom emojis, GIFs and integrations (e.g., trivia quizzes) that make work more enjoyable.

5 steps to create or enhance your own company core values

Clear company core values can lead to closely aligned teams and more effective operations.

Here are five steps for creating your own core values – or improving those you have:

1. Engage key stakeholders

Involve employees, leadership and customers in defining company values. Gathering diverse perspectives ensures they resonate with everyone impacted and reflect your brand’s true essence.

Let’s say you run a logistics company. Your mission statement is to make supply chains simpler and more reliable with efficient, technology-driven solutions.

As a starting point, you could conduct:

• Surveys

• Interviews

• Workshops

• Polls and quizzes

• Brainstorming sessions

Multiple opportunities to get involved ensure everyone who wants to contribute has input.

Let’s say when you ask stakeholders what they value about your logistics company, they highlight these key aspects:

Using this information, you can start to build your new core values.

2. Identify recurring themes and principles

Analyze your gathered data to pinpoint recurring themes and principles. Compare these with your mission and long-term goals to ensure enough overlap.

For example, one of your long-term goals could be to “become the top provider of cutting-edge logistics solutions through continual investment in the latest technology”. A core value that aligns with this goal could be “Innovation excellence”.

You can also perform a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. Understanding your objectives and market demands will help you refine your future values further.

Create a SWOT analysis by splitting a table into quadrants and generating a related list under each heading like so:

Look for recurring themes and principles and narrow them down to find your core values.

3. Define what principles would look like in practice

Add specific, actionable statements that demonstrate each value.

Clear definitions help employees understand how to practice your values in their daily work.

For example, your logistics company may land on these examples of core values in the workplace:

• Innovation excellence

• Reliability

• Customers at our core

• Sustainability

• Collaboration

• Integrity

• Unlimited creativity

• Global unity

Write a clear, concise description for each value and examples of behaviors that reflect it.

Here’s what that could look like:

• “Innovation excellence.” Adopting and integrating cutting-edge technology to provide top-tier logistics solutions (e.g., trialing advanced machine learning capabilities).

• “Reliability.” Ensuring consistent and dependable service that customers can trust for their logistics needs (e.g., on-time delivery or your money back).

• “Customers at our core.” Always prioritizing the needs and satisfaction of customers by tailoring solutions and providing exceptional service (e.g., customized solutions based on individual client needs).

• “Sustainability.” Focusing on environmentally friendly practices to reduce our operations’ carbon footprint (e.g., eco-friendly packaging).

• “Collaboration.” Fostering a cooperative work environment that encourages employee satisfaction, teamwork and well-being (e.g., promoting a healthy work-life balance).

• “Integrity.” Conducting business with honesty and transparency, ensuring ethical decisions in all dealings (e.g., transparent pricing).

• “Unlimited creativity.” Encouraging endless creative experimentation without boundaries (e.g., exploring unconventional delivery methods).

• “Global unity.” Advocating for harmonized global logistics practices (e.g., lobbying for standardized international processes).

When you examine each statement, you realize that “Unlimited creativity” may be challenging to balance with practical constraints and operational needs. “Global unity” may also be too challenging and distracting to implement consistently across all markets.

Therefore, you decide to narrow down your list to six core values.

4. Communicate and integrate your values

Consistently communicate your core values through various internal channels (e.g., emails and training manuals) and external platforms (e.g., your website and PR releases).

Regular reinforcement ensures your values become a core part of your culture and influence behavior at all levels.

Create guidelines or a code of conduct with your new or enhanced values and share them with your team. For example, you could create a graphic and send it in an internal newsletter.

Here’s one website analytics tool Hotjar created:

You can also discuss values in more detail in team meetings and on digital platforms (e.g., your website or social media accounts).

Collaborate with human resources to integrate values into your onboarding process. New hires should understand and embrace your core values from the beginning to set the tone for how they interact within your company.

As you progress with implementing your core values, share stories of how team members have successfully applied them in real scenarios.

Let’s say one of your core values is customer-centricity. You could highlight a customer success rep who resolved a challenging issue and turned a potential complaint into a positive testimonial.

5. Evaluate and adapt over time

Review your core values regularly and ask for employee feedback to assess their impact on company culture and team performance.

For example, “Sustainability” may be a goal that creates high engagement among employees. However, they may need more guidance on delivering “Innovation excellence” through their daily work.

Evaluating and adapting your values ensures they remain relevant and practical. The overarching goal is to grow and sustain tangible benefits over time.

You can gauge employee engagement of your values through surveys and review meetings. However, it’s also crucial to determine whether they directly impact sales.

You can track this data using a robust, intuitive CRM system like Pipedrive.

Start by creating custom fields or tags to capture sales opportunities and customer interactions related to specific core values.

For example, you can label deals and conversations with “Reliability promotion” or “Integrity mention”.

Monitor ongoing sales performance by analyzing the data using Pipedrive’s visual, colorful reports and dashboards.

Look for trends or correlations between sales success and values-focused initiatives. For example, if you close more deals when you highlight your sustainability principles, experiment with doubling down on mentions in meetings and demos.

Company core values FAQs

Final thoughts

Impactful company core values start with a robust and clear mission statement. Before defining yours, focus on crafting one that truly reflects your business’s purpose and direction.

Once you have that foundation, involve all stakeholders in the discussion to ensure all values resonate with your team and inspire genuine engagement.

When you’re ready to launch, use a CRM like Pipedrive to track how your new values influence sales, customer interactions and overall business growth.