Your company’s core values define the behaviors you treasure and demand above all others. Investing time in defining them increases the likelihood they come to life and become part of everyone’s daily behaviors.

Lots of time is wasted by executives crafting bland, committee-driven “values statements.” They hang in frames in beautiful calligraphy and don’t mean a thing to employees. Real core values are best described by outlining three simple behaviors that define which behaviors are OK, and which are not. Assemble your executive team, and you’ll complete this exercise in about an hour.

List the traits of your best employee

Think of a real-life employee. What is it about her that makes you and others love her performance? What are the qualities that make her so special? Is it her cleanliness or the way she treats her co-workers, or her productivity? Maybe it’s the passion she brings to her work or her accuracy and thoroughness. Write a list of these qualities and be as specific as possible in your description.

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