Values That Work

Values that don't kill ideas aren't values. They're decoration.

Most sustainable apparel brands I work with can tell you their values in about ten seconds. Ask them what those values forced them to reject last quarter — and you get a very different response.

Real values force you to choose. They make some paths impossible so other paths become clear.

A value is only useful if it: → Creates tension (forces a choice between two good options) → Is observable in decisions (visible in your product) → Eliminates options (rejects entire categories)

The Platitude Problem

Most company values fail because they're aspirational rather than operational. Everyone wants to deliver excellence. Everyone wants to innovate. Everyone wants to put customers first. These aren't values — they're generic goals. They don't help you make decisions because they don't create tension.

What Effective Values Do

Creates Tension Forces a choice between two legitimately good options.

Bad: "We value quality" — Everyone values quality. This eliminates nothing. Good: "Durability over novelty" — Do we use trendy materials that compromise longevity? No. Clear decision.

Observable in Decisions Someone looking at your product should be able to see the value in action — without you explaining it.

Bad: "We value innovation" — How would I observe this? Good: "We ship incomplete features to learn faster" — I can see this: beta releases, public iteration, fast feedback loops.

Eliminates Options The value must reject entire categories of action.

Bad: "We value our customers" — This rejects nothing. Even terrible companies claim this. Good: "Long-term relationships over short-term conversion" — This rejects aggressive upsells, dark patterns, conversion-optimized-but-annoying emails.

The Hard Choice Test

For each value, define what you'll say no to even when it costs you.

Value: [Your principle] The Hard Choice: [What this forces you to reject]

Example 1: Technical Apparel Brand Value: Utility over novelty The Hard Choice: We reject trending colorways and seasonal designs if the dye process or materials compromise performance or durability.

What this killed: A streetwear collab that required cheaper materials. A pastel line that tested well aesthetically but reduced breathability. Seasonal drops that would have increased revenue but created disposable product.

What this enables: Products that last 5+ years. Materials research instead of trend forecasting. Premium pricing justified by longevity.

Example 2: SaaS Company Value: Clarity over flexibility The Hard Choice: We reject feature requests that make the core use case more complex, even when large customers ask for them.

What this killed: Enterprise features 80% of users would never touch. Customization options that fragmented the experience. Power-user shortcuts that made onboarding harder.

What this enables: A product anyone can learn in 10 minutes. Consistent experience across all customers. Faster development because scope is protected.

Example 3: Direct-to-Consumer Brand Value: Trust over hype The Hard Choice: We reject influencer partnerships where we can't verify product use, even when they have millions of followers.

What this killed: Six-figure influencer deals with questionable authenticity. Hyperbolic marketing language. Tactics that create artificial urgency.

What this enables: Customer testimonials that actually mean something. Word-of-mouth from genuine advocacy. Brand authority in a category full of hype.

How to Define Your Values

Most companies start in a conference room with abstract ideals. That's backwards. Start with your actual decisions — especially the hard ones — and work backwards to the principle.

Step 1: List your recent "no" decisions. What have you said no to in the last 6 months? Partnerships declined, features killed, shortcuts refused. These rejections reveal your actual values.

Step 2: Find the pattern. Are you consistently rejecting things that compromise long-term quality for short-term growth? That trade authenticity for reach? That choose trend over timelessness? The pattern is your value.

Step 3: Name it as a tension. Not "We value quality" — "Longevity over disposability." Not "We value simplicity" — "Clarity over flexibility." Not "We value our customers" — "Long-term loyalty over short-term conversion." The tension makes the value actionable.

Step 4: Define the hard choice. Complete this sentence: "When ________ conflicts with ________, we choose ________ because ________."

Example: "When faster shipping conflicts with sustainable packaging, we choose sustainable packaging because our environmental commitment is non-negotiable — even when it costs us conversions."

That's not aspirational. It's operational.

The Test

Someone on your team faces a decision between two good options. Can your values give them a clear answer without asking you?

If yes — operational. If no — decorative.

When Values Fail

Values fail when they conflict with each other without a priority order. Speed to market vs. exceptional quality — what happens when quality testing would delay launch? You need a tiebreaker. That's where decision priorities come in.

Exercise

Define 3–5 values with their hard choices.

Value: ________ vs. ________ The Hard Choice: We reject ________ even when ________. What this has killed: ________