LEADERSHIP
Building the Team
Creating a Team Charter and Shared Values
A team charter creates alignment by defining purpose, behaviors, and ways of working that guide how leadership operates together.
TIME COMMITMENT
2–4 hours to create
Review quarterly
Why This Matters
Promotes shared accountability and trust
Clarifies how decisions are made
Helps resolve conflict and avoid power struggles
Makes implicit expectations explicit
Aligns leaders around culture, not just execution
When to Focus On This
Forming the initial leadership team
Experiencing leadership tension or misalignment
Starting off new product or GTM chapters
How to Complete
Run a charter workshop with all leaders
Define team purpose, principles, norms, and values
Clarify decision rights and conflict protocols
Identify key working agreements (e.g., async norms)
Review and iterate quarterly
Make the charter visible and actionable
Align charter with company values and mission
Tools
Team charter canvas template
Value-to-behavior worksheet
Conflict protocol guide
Deliverables
Shared team charter (1–2 pages)
List of values with behaviors
Team operating agreement (TOA)
How to Measure Success
Fewer team miscommunications
Increased psychological safety (via surveys or 1:1s)
Better cross-functional collaboration
Faster resolution of conflict
Who Owns This
CEO or COO facilitates; all leaders co-own
Get It Right
Co-create vs. top-down delivery
Make values observable and measurable
Update when major leadership changes occur
Connect values to real decisions and rituals
Reinforce in meetings and retrospectives
Don't Make These Mistakes
Writing it and never using it
Using aspirational values without accountability
Over-complicating or making it too vague
Failing to revisit as the team evolves
Using it only for “culture fit” screening