Management Tip of the Day: When Starting a Company, Get Your Values Right

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   TIPS   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile AUGUST 29, 2012 When Starting a Company, Get Your Values Right As a start-up gets off the ground, it has a short-lived opportunity to decide how it wants to do business. With each new hire company culture becomes more entrenched and somewhere after two dozen employees, it tends to cement. Establish a set of genuine values before your start-up gets too complex. Articulate a coherent philosophy about who you are and how you will work. Also be clear about who you aren't and what you won't do. This will make decisions easier and ultimately improve results. Rather than analyzing each new decision afresh, you'll have a common foundation from which to make them. If you don't do this deliberately when your organization is young, the culture will (often rigidly) form itself. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Four Things to Get Right When Starting a Company" by Bruce Gibney and Ken Howery. Read the full post and join the discussion » Share Today's Tip: FEATURED PRODUCT Finance: A Self-Paced Learning Program Online Tools The Finance Self-Paced Learning Program provides a fundamental understanding of the principles, analytical tools, and knowledge needed to make good investment and financing decisions. Developed by Harvard Business School faculty for use in MBA and executive education courses at HBS and other leading business schools, as well as Fortune 2,000 companies this program will introduce you to finance ratios, forecasting methods, capital structure theory, and risk-return analysis and then demonstrate how to apply these concepts in several different approaches to valuing a business. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Tip: PREVIOUS TIPS Ease Your Employees Into Change Don't Pursue a Doomed Idea Take Off Your Headphones See the Big Picture Before Making a Decision Win the Pitch Handle Both Kinds of Conflict Take Mini Email Vacations Every Day Stop Wasting Your Boss's Time Let Employees Tell Their Own Stories about Change Change Your Culture a Few Behaviors at a Time All Previous Tips BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials HBR's Must Reads Library Set Guide to Persuasive Presentations Guide to Better Business Writing Guide to Getting the Right Work Done Introducing HBR's Morning Advantage The Harvard Business Review Morning Advantage delivers the latest business ideas from beyond HBR.org directly to your inbox every morning — and it is free! Sign up today >> UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "Management Tip of the Day" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. OPT OUT If you do not wish to receive any email messages from Harvard Business Review, click here. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2012 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)