Brand Values Development Framework

Quick reference for developing distinctive, actionable brand values using methodologies from Jim Collins, Patrick Lencioni, Brene Brown, Marty Neumeier, and Simon Sinek.

"You do not create or set core ideology. You discover core ideology." — Jim Collins

"Values are verbs, things we do." — Simon Sinek

"If you're not going to translate values from ideals to behaviors, it's better not to profess any values at all." — Brene Brown

Lencioni's Four Categories of Values

Created by: Patrick Lencioni (The Advantage)

Not all values are equal. Understanding which type prevents common mistakes.

Category	Definition	Characteristics	Example
Core Values	Unchanging values upon which organization was founded	Essentially immutable; 2-3 must-haves	Zappos: "Deliver WOW through service"
Aspirational Values	Values you want to cultivate for success	Goals, not current truths	"Working toward radical transparency"
Permission-to-Play Values	Values the market requires to participate	Table stakes, not differentiators	"Integrity," "Honesty," "Quality"
Accidental Values	Values that emerge organically	May be positive or negative	Informal dress code

Key Insight: "Core values are non-negotiable. If you believe in them, you'll fit. If not, you won't."

Warning: Don't confuse aspirational goals with core values. Stating "quality is a core value" without demonstrating it waters down impact.

Six Differentiation Tests

Apply these tests to ensure values are genuinely distinctive:

Test 1: The Opposite Test

Ask: Could a reasonable company hold the opposite value?

Value Claim	Opposite	Verdict
"Integrity"	"No integrity"	❌ Not distinctive (no one claims opposite)
"Speed over perfection"	"Perfection over speed"	✓ Distinctive (both are valid choices)
"Transparency"	"Privacy/Discretion"	✓ Distinctive (some companies value privacy)

Test 2: The Antivalue/Sacrifice Test

Principle: Identify what value you're willing to give up to live your value.

Value	Requires Sacrificing	Example Company With Opposite
Transparency	Privacy	Apple (legendary secrecy)
Speed	Perfection	Luxury watchmakers
Innovation	Predictability	Utility companies
Growth	Work-life balance	Bootstrapped lifestyle companies

Key Question: "What are we willing to give up to live this value?"

Test 3: The Onlyness Test (Marty Neumeier)

Complete: "We are the only [category] that [benefit]"

If others can make the same claim, it's not distinctive.

Examples:

✓ "Cirque du Soleil is the only circus with Broadway sophistication"
❌ "We are the only software company that values innovation"

Test 4: The Hard Choice Test

Ask: Does this value help make hard decisions? Does it force trade-offs?

Examples of Hard Choices:

Patagonia's "Don't Buy This Jacket" ad — environmental values over sales
Southwest's "employees first" — turning down customers who abuse staff
Netflix's Keeper Test — letting go of adequate performers

Test 5: The Behavioral Specificity Test

Ask: Can you describe exactly what this value looks like in practice?

Vague (Fails)	Specific (Passes)
"We value innovation"	"We regularly share unfinished work" (Pixar)
"We put customers first"	"We put students before tutors" (TutorX)
"We value collaboration"	"No brilliant jerks" (Netflix)

Test 6: The Fire Someone Test (Zappos)

At Zappos: "You can be fired for core value violations even if job performance is fine."

Ask: Would you terminate a high performer who violated this value? If not, it's not truly core.

Key Discovery Questions

Uncovering Authentic Values

"What motivated you to start this business?" — Identifies core beliefs
"What would be missing if we didn't exist?" — Reveals true purpose
The Five Whys (Denise Lee Yohn):
- Start with a product/service
- Ask "why is it important?"
- Ask "why does that matter?"
- Repeat five times to uncover real purpose
"What would you never compromise on, even if it cost you business?" — Reveals non-negotiables
"What decisions have you made that reveal your values?" — Past behavior predicts actual values
"What do you respect in other companies? What do you despise?" — Reveals values through contrast

"Always" and "Never" Statements

Ask the team to formulate:

"We always..."
"We never..."

These reveal actual behaviors that can be distilled into values.

Examples:

"We always share bad news immediately" → Transparency
"We never sacrifice quality for speed" → Craftsmanship
"We always give credit to the team" → Humility

Operationalizing Values (Brene Brown)

Problem: Only 10% of organizations translate values into teachable, observable behaviors.

The Process

Identify 1-2 Core Values Maximum: The most courageous leaders tether to just 1-2
Define Aligned Behaviors: What specific behaviors demonstrate this value?
Define Unaligned Behaviors: What behaviors indicate you've drifted?
Create Observable Behaviors: Map each value to 3-5 observable behaviors
Identify "Slippery Behaviors": Sneaky actions that erode the value slowly

Behavior Mapping Example

Value	Aligned Behaviors	Unaligned Behaviors	Slippery Behaviors
Transparency	Share salary info publicly; Explain decision rationale	Hide leadership decisions; Corporate jargon	"Need to know" reasoning; Selective transparency
Innovation	Share unfinished work; Celebrate failed experiments	Punish mistakes; Require polish before sharing	"More research" before trying; Innovation theater

Writing Values with Action Language

Values should start with a verb:

"Build the best product" (Patagonia)
"Cause no unnecessary harm" (Patagonia)
"Deliver WOW through service" (Zappos)

Test: Employees should easily answer "Am I doing this?" with yes or no.

Anti-Patterns Checklist

Generic Values to Avoid

These could apply to anyone and therefore inspire no one:

❌ Generic Claim	Why It Fails
"To be the best..."	Everyone claims this
"To provide excellent..."	Table stakes
"To maximize value..."	Profit isn't purpose
"To help people..."	Too vague
"Making the world better"	Could be anyone
"Excellence in everything"	Means nothing
"Integrity" (alone)	No one claims lack of it

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Why It Happens	Fix
Too many values	Fear of leaving out	Limit to 3-4 max
Vague/generic values	Specific feels risky	Apply Opposite Test
One-time event	Values feel "done"	Build into daily rituals
Not operationalized	Behaviors require commitment	Map to 3-5 behaviors
Aspirational vs Core	Gaps feel vulnerable	Use Lencioni categories
No performance link	HR systems hard to change	Include in reviews

Real Examples Quick Reference

Netflix: Values as Behaviors

"The actual company values are shown by who gets rewarded, promoted, or let go."

Keeper Test: "Adequate performance = generous severance"
No brilliant jerks: "They are detrimental to great teamwork"
Freedom + Responsibility: No formal vacation policy

Zappos: Values with Teeth

Two interview rounds: skills AND culture fit—must pass both
$2,000 "pay to quit" offer to new hires
Can be fired for value violations even with fine performance
Employees call each other out for not living values

Patagonia: Values Requiring Sacrifice

"Don't Buy This Jacket" campaign — environmental values over sales
1% for the Planet — donate 1% of sales
100% Black Friday 2016 sales donated ($10 million)
Values require telling customers NOT to buy

Southwest Airlines: Employees First

"Employees come first, customers second"
Screen for humor, team spirit, grit—not just skills
"We can train you to fly. We can't train you to be nice."
47 straight years of profit

Buffer: Radical Transparency

Publicly share all employee salaries
Share revenue publicly
Share decision-making processes publicly

Key Principles

Values are verbs, not nouns (Sinek): Things you DO, not have
Distinctive values create enemies: If everyone agrees, not distinctive
The sacrifice is the point: Stand for something by standing against something else
Discovery over invention: Look inside at what exists authentically
Behaviors over beliefs (Netflix): What you reward/fire for = actual values
Few is better than many: 3-5 maximum; courageous leaders use 1-2
The gap kills credibility: Stated vs lived gap destroys trust

Expert Statistics

Only 10% of organizations translate values into observable behaviors (Brown)
Only 23% of employees can apply values to work daily (Gallup)
No correlation between published values and how well companies live them (562-firm study)
306% higher lifetime value from emotionally connected customers (HBR)

Templates

See reference/templates.md for:

Values Discovery Worksheet
Values Category Assessment Template
Differentiation Test Template
Behavior Mapping Template
Values Documentation Template
Values Validation Checklist
Values Summary Card Template

When to Apply This Knowledge

During Values Discovery

Use Five Whys technique
Apply "Always/Never" statements exercise
Categorize using Lencioni's four categories

During Values Testing

Run all six Differentiation Tests
Identify antivalues/sacrifices
Check against generic values list

During Values Operationalization

Map each value to 3-5 behaviors (Brene Brown)
Define aligned vs unaligned behaviors
Identify slippery behaviors

During Final Documentation

Include full categorization
Document differentiation test results
Provide behavior mapping
Create decision-making framework

Deep Methodology

For comprehensive values curation sessions, the brand-values-curator agent contains 1100+ lines of expert methodology including the complete output format with all templates for discovery, testing, operationalization, and documentation.

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