What are core values?

Core values are the few principles that guide how your people behave and make decisions. A real one rules some behaviour in and some behaviour out. If a value does not make any decision easier, it is decoration.

Most owners struggle to write theirs because they start with a list of nice words. This tool starts with real people and real decisions instead: the best person you have worked with, a time you were frustrated, and what you would never compromise on. Your values are already visible there.

Want to see what good ones look like? Read 14 real company core values examples →

What it asks you

1. The best person you have worked with. What three qualities made them a great fit?
2. A time you were frustrated. What unspoken rule was broken?
3. Your non-negotiables. The principles you keep even when it is costly.
4. Your themes. It groups your answers into three to five values for you to confirm.
5. Definitions and behaviours. For each value, one sentence and three to five daily behaviours.

It takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Already have values written, or a vision or handbook? Paste or attach them and it will start from there.

From a few answers to a set of values: a real example

This is a real run of the tool for a 12-person commercial cleaning company in Perth. On the left, the three discovery answers. On the right, the four values that came back.

Best person you have worked with: Marcus, who ran our night shift. He turned up when he said he would. He told me about problems before I found them. And he'd quietly fix things that weren't his job, without being asked.

A time you were frustrated: A supervisor once hid a missed clean from a client and blamed the client's own staff for the mess. The rule broken was that we own our mistakes, we tell the client first, and we fix it before they have to ask.

Your non-negotiables: We never sign off a clean we wouldn't be happy to have inspected on the spot. We tell clients the truth even when it costs us a contract. And we look after our cleaners: paid on time, proper training, safe equipment.

RELIABILITY
We do what we said we'd do, when we said we'd do it.
- Arrive at the start of the shift window, or ring the client before you're late
- Finish every task on the checklist and tick it off as you go
- If something changes, tell the client and your supervisor straight away, not after

OWN IT EARLY
We tell the client about a problem before they find it, and we fix it before they have to ask.
- Report a missed area or breakage to your supervisor the same shift
- Ring the client first when we've got something wrong, with a fix already in hand
- Say sorry once, plainly, then fix it

INSPECTION-READY WORK
Every clean is finished to a standard we'd be happy to have checked on the spot, including the corners nobody looks at.
- Do a final walk of the whole site against the checklist before you leave
- Check skirting, door handles and under desks, not just the floor
- Photograph anything you can't finish and flag it

LOOK AFTER OUR OWN
We treat our cleaners the way we want them to treat our clients: paid fairly, trained properly and never left alone with a risk.
- Pay every fortnight on the day
- Check in by text at the start and end of any night shift
- Supervisors ask each cleaner how the shift went, and act on the answer

The full framework has three to five behaviours for each value.

Core values examples from real companies

Each of these was copied from the company’s own website in September 2026, with a link to the source. Notice how short the lists are, and how some sound like only that company.

Kennards Hire4 values · Equipment hire, family-ownedOne FamilyFair DinkumTaking Hire HigherEvery Customer A Raving Fansource

Atlassian5 values · SoftwareOpen company, no bullshitBuild with heart and balanceDon’t #@!% the customerPlay, as a teamBe the change you seeksource

Microsoft3 values · SoftwareRespectIntegrityAccountabilitysource

Canva6 values · SoftwareBe a force for goodBe a good humanEmpower othersMake complex things simplePursue excellenceSet crazy big goals and make them happensource

Xero4 values · Accounting softwareGo BoldGo FastGo FurtherGo Togethersource

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank4 values · BankingMake a differenceBe better togetherOwn itFind the right waysource

Want more? See all 14 core values examples, with sources →

How to write core values

1. Describe the best person you have worked with. The qualities you want more of.
2. Describe a time you were frustrated. The rule that was broken is a value you hold.
3. List your non-negotiables. What you would keep even when it costs you.
4. Group them into three to five values. Then ask what each one rules out.
5. Define each and list the behaviours. One sentence, and three to five daily behaviours.

Build the rest of your foundation

Values work best next to your vision and your offer. These tools follow on from them.

Values only work if the team sees them.

Questions, answered