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Values Must Acknowledge Trade-offs Framework

Reusability

A principle that company values are only meaningful when they explicitly acknowledge what you're sacrificing or what downside you accept

How It Works

Forces clarity on what you actually prioritize by making the cost explicit, rather than generic feel-good statements

Components

Identify the positive behavior or outcome you want

Explicitly state what negative consequence you'll accept

Frame as an opinionated trade-off rather than universal good

Test if it provides actual decision-making guidance

When to Use

When defining company values, team principles, or personal operating systems

When Not to Use

For external marketing where nuance might confuse rather than clarify

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Generic values like 'respect, integrity, honor' with no trade-offValues that everyone would obviously agree withStatements that don't help resolve conflicts between competing priorities

Example

“Instead of 'We value quality,' say 'We prioritize quality over speed, even if it means missing some deadlines.' This gives teams actual decision criteria when quality and speed conflict.”