One thing the founders noticed was that all the companies they admired had a strong mission and a set of defined “core values,” a somewhat overused term for the general principles that guide an organization’s internal conduct as well as its relationship with its customers, shareholders, and other stakeholders. Core values are a bit of a “thing” in Silicon Valley. But they are seen by organizational-behavior experts as being critical in helping a company define the kind of people it wants to bring in, and they are especially helpful when shaped during a company’s formative days.
