Find Your Compass: Core Values Exercises for Teams

Imagine you’re out on a safari, lost in the wild, when it hits you—uh oh, you’ve got no clue where you are! But wait! You pull out your trusty compass (cue epic soundtrack), and it gets you back on track toward your destination. That’s kinda like what core values do for your team—except, you know, with fewer lions. Your team’s core values act as a guiding compass, keeping everyone aligned through the chaotic jungle of work, deadlines, and those “we need this yesterday” emails.

Without core values? Well, your team might just wander in circles, get distracted, or become divided. Let’s be real, defining core values is essential. Plus, we’ve got some interactive, low-sweat exercises to help you nail them down (don’t worry, no actual squats required).

What are core values?

Core values are guiding principles for your team. They define the ideals and behaviors that are most important for the team to honor when interacting, communicating, and making decisions. Values are the secret sauce that keeps your team grounded and unified, especially when the pressure’s on.

"When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier." - Roy E. Disney

Why are values important?

Let’s put it this way: Trying to run a team without clear values is like trying to cook a gourmet meal without a recipe—there’s a good chance it’ll end in chaos (and maybe a fire alarm or two). Values aren’t just a nice-to-have; they’re the solid foundation for a cohesive and effective team.

Here’s why they matter:

• They’re key in defining team culture: Values (if understood and lived-out) have a big influence on how your team operates, communicates, and solves problems.
• They unite people: When your team shares the same values, it creates a sense of unity. Everyone understands what’s most important, reducing confusion and conflict.
• They encourage positive behaviors: Values like “trust” or “respect” give your team the green light to aspire to higher standards in how they treat each other and handle challenges.
• They guide decisions and priorities: Core values act as a decision-making filter, helping teams focus on what truly matters and ensuring that choices align with the team’s principles.

Can’t the leader just pick values for the team?

One of the most important parts of defining core values is making sure it’s a team effort. If the leader simply hands down a list of values, the team is likely to feel disconnected from them. By involving everyone in the process, you give the team ownership over the values, ensuring that they truly resonate with everyone.

When the whole team participates in defining the values, it also opens up conversations about what matters most to the group. The values become something people are more likely to live by because they’ve helped shape them. Plus, it builds buy-in and creates a sense of accountability within the team.

Now, let’s dive into some core values exercises you can use with your team to create a set of shared values.

8 core values exercises for teams

Storytelling Session: Have your team share moments when they felt super proud to be part of the team or organization. What values showed up in those stories? Whether it was a time when the team overcame a big challenge or when they rallied around a colleague going through a tough time, these moments will help identify what the team already values.

Values Voting: Give your team a list of potential values—either pre-made or brainstormed together—and have everyone vote on their favorites. Narrow it down to the top few and have a group discussion to finalize the set. It’s democracy in action, but, you know, way more fun than actual politics.

Reverse Brainstorming: Let’s flip the script! Ask your team to think about behaviors they don’t want to see (like poor communication or negativity). Then, reverse those behaviors to find the positive values that would counteract them. It’s like turning lemons into lemonade—only here, we’re turning bad habits into values like “open communication” or “optimism.”

Scenario Discussion: Present your team with hypothetical work scenarios and ask them how they’d respond. What values would guide their decisions? Whether it’s dealing with a tough client or navigating internal conflict, the common themes that arise can help identify your team’s core values.

Values that Stick: Sticky note time! Have each team member write down values they believe are important on individual sticky notes. Then, group the notes into related themes. The values that show up the most? Those are great candidates to adopt as your team’s core values.

Best Day at Work: Remember that time everything clicked, and it felt like you were crushing it? Ask team members to describe their “best day at work” or their most successful project. What values were in play during those experiences? Chances are, you’ll start to notice patterns in what made those days so awesome—and those patterns can help identify your team’s values.

Envisioning the Future: Ask your team to imagine what an even more effective and successful version of the team would look like in 3-5 years. What kind of ideal environment do they envision? What values would help make that a reality? This exercise encourages forward-thinking and helps identify the values the team wants to embrace as they move into the future.

Awesome Colleagues: We’ve all had colleagues we respect and admire. So, why not start there? Ask team members to describe the best behaviors they’ve seen in colleagues, past or present. From these behaviors, you can often extrapolate the values that made those colleagues so great—whether it’s “supportiveness,” “accountability,” or “reliability.”

By using these core values exercises, you’ll build a solid foundation that will carry your team through any challenge, with a little more clarity, direction, and teamwork.

Just like a compass keeps you from wandering aimlessly on a safari, core values keep your team on track and aligned with what really matters. They create unity, help guide decisions, and define how your team moves forward together—whether you’re tackling a huge project or just trying to survive a Monday morning meeting. Happy values-hunting!

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