How to Define Core Values with ClickUp-Inspired Steps

Building strong core values with a ClickUp style approach helps you turn vague principles into clear, practical behaviors your team can follow every day. This guide walks you step-by-step through defining, writing, and rolling out core values that actually shape your culture.

Using ideas modeled from the ClickUp core values examples, you will learn how to design values that are memorable, measurable, and meaningful for your organization.

Why Core Values Matter to Teams Like ClickUp

Core values are the operating system of your company. They explain how people should behave, make decisions, and work together when no one is watching.

A value is useful when it:

• Guides real decisions, not just posters or swag
• Clarifies what “good” looks like in daily behavior
• Helps hire, promote, and coach team members
• Protects culture as you grow or go fully remote

The way ClickUp publicly documents and explains its values shows how powerful it is when a company moves from generic phrases to specific expectations.

Step 1: Audit Your Current Culture the ClickUp Way

Before writing anything, study how your team already behaves. This prevents values from feeling fake or disconnected.

Identify Real Behaviors, Like ClickUp Does

Look for patterns in how your best people work:

• Who consistently delivers great results?
• How do they communicate under pressure?
• What do they do differently from average performers?

Capture specific actions, not fuzzy labels. For example, instead of “teamwork,” write “jumps into another team’s project when they’re behind without being asked.”

Collect Stories from Across the Company

Run short listening sessions and surveys. Ask questions such as:

• “Describe a time someone acted in a way you think everyone here should copy.”
• “What behavior should we never tolerate, even if results are good?”
• “If a new person joined tomorrow, what would you tell them about how we work?”

These stories will later become proof points, just like a well-documented ClickUp value that comes with real examples.

Step 2: Turn Behaviors into Clear Value Themes

Now group your notes into themes. This is where raw stories turn into the first draft of your value set.

Cluster Similar Behaviors

On a whiteboard or digital workspace:

1. Write each behavior on a separate sticky note.
2. Group similar behaviors into clusters.
3. Give each cluster a working label, such as “bias for action” or “customer empathy.”

Aim for 4–7 clusters. The ClickUp approach to core values shows that fewer, sharper values are easier to remember and apply.

Test Each Theme Against Key Questions

For each cluster, ask:

• Would we be willing to lose a deal or great candidate to protect this?
• Does this describe our best people right now, not just a future dream?
• Is this meaningfully different from what most companies say?

If the answer is “no” to any of these, rework or drop the theme.

Step 3: Write Values the ClickUp-Inspired Way

Now transform themes into sharp, memorable value statements. Many teams, including ClickUp, pair a short label with a detailed description.

Give Each Value a Short, Sticky Name

Strong names are:

• Short: 1–4 words
• Active: use verbs when possible
• Unique: something people will repeat in meetings and feedback

For example, instead of “Customer Focus,” you might use “Obsess Over Outcomes.”

Add a Clear Description and Behaviors

Under each value, write:

• One sentence summary: a plain-language explanation.
• 3–5 example behaviors: what it looks like in action.
• Anti-examples: what it is not, to avoid confusion.

This mirrors how ClickUp explains its own values with specific behavior, not just slogans.

Step 4: Pressure-Test Values with a ClickUp-Level Bar

Before you roll out values, stress-test them like a product release.

Run Scenario Reviews

With a small group of leaders and individual contributors:

1. List common scenarios: hiring, firing, promotion, product trade-offs, customer escalations.
2. For each scenario, ask: “What would this value tell us to do?”
3. Check for conflicts, vagueness, or loopholes.

If a value cannot guide a tough decision, refine it until it can.

Check for Overlap and Gaps

Look across the whole set and ask:

• Are any two values saying almost the same thing?
• Is any critical behavior missing, such as ethics or accountability?
• Would a new hire clearly understand how to succeed here?

Keep the standard high. The ClickUp philosophy of ambitious, clear thinking is a good reference point when you are tempted to settle for vague phrases.

Step 5: Roll Out Values with a ClickUp-Style Playbook

Defining values is only half the work. Now you need a rollout plan that embeds them into daily operations.

Launch Values with Clarity and Stories

Plan a launch that explains both the what and the why:

• Host a live session or all-hands to present each value.
• Share the stories and behaviors that inspired them.
• Explain what will change in how you hire, manage, and recognize people.

Stories make values memorable, the same way ClickUp uses examples to bring its principles to life.

Embed Values into Core Processes

Update your systems so values are unavoidable in daily work:

• Hiring: add value-based questions and scorecards.
• Onboarding: dedicate time to walking through each value and real examples.
• Performance reviews: rate both results and behaviors.
• Recognition: shout out people who demonstrate values in action.

When values influence real outcomes, people start to trust them.

Step 6: Keep Values Alive with a ClickUp Mindset

Even strong values fade without maintenance. Treat them like a living product, not a one-time project.

Create Feedback Loops

Ask regularly:

• “Which value feels most natural?”
• “Which value is hardest to live up to?”
• “Where do we say one thing but reward another?”

Then adjust your communication, leadership coaching, or processes to close the gap.

Review Values as the Company Evolves

Set a yearly or bi-yearly review to confirm values are still right for your stage and strategy. You might:

• Refine descriptions for clarity.
• Update examples to match new products or markets.
• Retire or merge values if they no longer serve.

Growth-focused companies such as ClickUp treat culture as an evolving system that must be managed with intention.

Using ClickUp-Inspired Structure with Your Own Tools

You do not need to use any specific software to follow this process; the point is to structure your work with the same rigor that ClickUp brings to its culture and operations.

To organize your core values project, you could:

• Create a central workspace or folder for all interviews, surveys, and drafts.
• Track tasks for workshops, reviews, and communications.
• Store the final value set in a single source of truth for the whole team.

If you want expert help rolling this out or pairing your values with systems and documentation, you can explore consulting options at Consultevo.

Next Steps: Apply These ClickUp-Inspired Techniques

To recap, you can define and roll out meaningful core values by:

1. Auditing current culture and behaviors.
2. Clustering themes into a focused value set.
3. Writing clear names, descriptions, and behaviors.
4. Pressure-testing values against real scenarios.
5. Rolling them out through hiring, onboarding, and reviews.
6. Maintaining and evolving them as your company grows.

Use these ClickUp-inspired methods to build values that shape daily decisions, not just slide decks. When your principles are concrete, consistent, and connected to real behavior, they become a strategic advantage for every team member and every customer experience.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

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