Start by meeting with the founding team. It’s likely they already have well-formed opinions on what the team’s core values should be. Ask questions like: What brought us together to found this team? What are the qualities, behaviors, and practices of this team that we value most? What is our team like when we are doing our best work? What is the most important quality to look for in our new hires? What aspects of our team do you hope will still be present in five years?
