Key Takeaways
- Values that describe behavior are actionable. Values that describe aspirations are not.
- The value that everyone on the team interprets differently is not guiding behavior consistently.
- Testing whether a value is real: would we decline a profitable customer based on this value?
Saim Abbasi approaches why the company values need to be specific to be real from the perspective of an operator who has built and sold companies, run a media brand, and invested across multiple sectors through Iron Key Capital. The insight shared here comes from direct experience rather than academic study.
The Core Idea
The difference between values that guide decisions and values that decorate the office wall. This comes up frequently in the work Saim does with founders at every stage from pre-seed through Series A. The framework is consistent even when the application varies by company and context.
What to Do With This
Entrepreneurs and global businessmen who have navigated this successfully tend to share specific habits of mind described in the key takeaways. Saim Abbasi's track record across SA Capital, OptionsSwing, Asset Entities, SA Media, and Iron Key Capital provides a practical lens on what works.
"Write your values as behaviors, not as adjectives. Then they mean something."