How to Add and Edit Core Values in Ninety

Your company's Core Values (the guiding principles you expect everyone in your organization to embody) live in the Core Values section of the Vision page on your leadership team's Vision.

Owners, Admins, and Coaches on the leadership team can add, edit, reorder, and remove Core Values. Fit Check and the Quarterly Review form both read Core Values from this section, so this list is the one every manager uses to rate people. Core Values are available on every Ninety plan, including the Free plan.

Where Core Values live

Core Values live on one Vision only: your leadership team's. They sit in the Core Values section of the Vision page, where each value's name appears beside its description.

To find your Core Values:

Click Vision in the left navigation.
Choose your leadership team from the Team dropdown.
Click the Vision tab.

Core Values can't be edited on any other team's Vision, and neither can the Marketing Strategy section or the Compelling and Audacious Goals on the Strategy page. When the leadership team cascades its Core Values, they appear on each department team's Vision page with a Leadership flag in the section's top-right corner. Department teams still keep their own goals on their Strategy page. Project Teams don't have a Vision.

Who can add and edit Core Values

Editing Core Values takes two things: membership on the leadership team, and one of these roles:

Owner.
Admin.
Coach.

Managers, Team Members, and Observers can view Core Values but can't edit them. Someone with an editing role who isn't on the leadership team can't edit them either. The same roles edit the leadership team's Marketing Strategy section and its Compelling and Audacious Goals. For the full permissions breakdown, see User Roles and Permissions.

How to add a Core Value

Adding a Core Value happens in the edit view of the Core Values section on your leadership team's Vision page. Each value has two fields: a short name and a description of the behavior behind it. Here's how:

Click Vision in the left navigation.
Choose your leadership team from the Team dropdown.
On the Vision tab, click the pencil icon at the top right of the Core Values section.
Click the circled plus icon at the top of the section, next to the check mark icon. A new row appears.
Type the value's name in the Core Value field.
Type one sentence describing the behavior in the Description field.
Repeat steps 4–6 for each value you want to add.
Click the check mark icon to save.

The Core Values field at the top of the edit view holds the section's title. Change it only if you want the section to have a different name on your Vision page.

Tip: Keep each name to a word or short phrase. Depending on your Vision page's layout, the Core Value field can be narrow enough to cut off long names while you edit. Put the full meaning in the description.

How to edit, reorder, or remove a Core Value

Editing, reordering, and removing Core Values all happen in the same edit view. To open it, click Vision in the left navigation, choose your leadership team from the Team dropdown, and click the pencil icon at the top right of the Core Values section on the Vision tab.

To edit a value:

Click into its Core Value or Description field and change the text.
Click the check mark icon to save.

To reorder your values:

Hover over a value's row. A six-dot icon appears at the far left of the row.
Click and drag the six-dot icon to move the value up or down.
Click the check mark icon to save.

To remove a value:

Click the X icon at the right of the value's row.
Click the check mark icon to save.

A review started before you add a value won't include it. Only reviews started afterward pick up new values.

Write a description your managers can rate against

A Core Value's description shows up in your Quarterly Reviews, so it's worth getting right. When a manager rates someone, the description sits beside each value's name, and every manager rates against the same definition.

Here are some helpful tips for developing your company's Core Values:

A short list. Aim for three to seven values, few enough that everyone can remember them.
A short name. One word or a short phrase your team already says.
One sentence of behavior. Describe what someone does when they live the value, clearly enough that two managers would rate the same person the same way.

For example, a value named Collaboration might read: "We value working together as a team, and with our clients, to achieve the best outcomes."

How Core Values appear in Fit Check and Quarterly Reviews

Fit Check and the Quarterly Review form both use the Core Values on your leadership team's Vision page, whatever team the reviewer and the person being reviewed are on.

Fit Check. Each value's name appears with a +, +/-, or - rating, alongside Competency, Commitment, and Capacity (CCC) for the person's Seat. Descriptions don't appear in Fit Check. Learn more in Using the Fit Check Tool.
Quarterly Reviews. The form's Core Values section lists each value's name and full description, with a dropdown for +, +/-, or -. Learn more in Preparing and Running a Quarterly Review.
Reviews in progress. A review started before a value was added won't include that value. Only reviews started afterward pick up the change.

Keep Core Values with your leadership team or share them

Core Values reach other teams when the leadership team shares them, and there are two ways to do that.

Share the whole Vision. Turn on the Share Vision with All Teams toggle in the filters bar of your leadership team's Vision. Every other team can then turn on View Leadership Vision to see the leadership team's full Vision, Core Values included.

Cascade only the Core Values section. Cascading places the leadership team's Core Values on every team's own Vision page, with a Leadership flag. Here's how:

On your leadership team's Vision page, click the pencil icon at the top right of the Core Values section.
Turn on the Cascade to all teams toggle at the top of the edit view.
Click the check mark icon to save.

Cascading needs the Custom Vision feature turned on. See Custom Vision Feature and Display the Organization's Vision Across All Teams.

While you're still drafting, leave Share Vision with All Teams and Cascade to all teams off. The leadership team can refine its Core Values on its own Vision page, then share them once everyone has signed off.

Frequently asked questions

Can each department have its own Core Values?

No. Core Values belong to the whole company and can be edited only on the leadership team's Vision page. Department teams keep their own goals on their Strategy page.

How many Core Values should we have?

Aim for three to seven. A short list is easier for everyone to remember and to rate against in Fit Check and Quarterly Reviews.

Why don't I see descriptions in Fit Check?

Fit Check shows each Core Value's name only. To read a value's full description, open the Core Values section on your leadership team's Vision page. Descriptions also appear in the Quarterly Review form.

Can Maz see our Core Values?

Yes, for anyone who can view them. If your leadership team's Vision isn't shared, users who aren't on the leadership team can't ask Maz about the leadership team's Core Values. Learn more in Introduction to Maz.

Troubleshooting

Issue: I don't see the pencil icon on the Core Values section.

Solution:

Check that the Team dropdown is set to your leadership team. Core Values can't be edited on any other team's Vision page.
Confirm that you're a member of the leadership team and that your role is Owner, Admin, or Coach. Managers can view Core Values but can't edit them. See User Roles and Permissions.
If the issue persists, contact support.

Issue: Core Values are missing from Fit Check or a Quarterly Review form.