In today’s fast-paced business environment, where trends shift overnight and competition is relentless, it’s tempting for entrepreneurs to adapt constantly just to stay relevant. But here’s the truth that separates the good businesses from the truly great ones — an unshakable commitment to core values.
What Are Core Values, Really?
Core values aren’t just pretty words painted on your office wall or listed on your website. They are the heartbeat of your organization — the beliefs and principles that guide every decision, every interaction, and every strategic move.
Whether it’s integrity, innovation, empathy, customer-first thinking, or teamwork — your values reflect who you are and what your business stands for.
Why Businesses Drift Without Core Values
Without clearly defined and fiercely defended values, businesses often:
- Chase profits at the cost of principles
- Make inconsistent decisions
- Struggle with internal conflicts
- Lose the trust of customers and employees alike
The end result? Mediocrity. And worse, erosion of brand identity.
Core Values: Your North Star in Times of Chaos
Great businesses face the same storms as everyone else — economic uncertainty, team issues, customer complaints, industry disruption. But what keeps them steady is a powerful internal compass: their values.
Let’s explore some powerful real-world examples — both Indian and global — of businesses that went from good to great by defending their values.
1. TATA Group – Ethics Over Expediency
Core Value: Integrity and Responsibility
The Tata Group has built its empire on unwavering ethics. In 2009, Ratan Tata revealed how Tata refused to pay bribes to launch an airline in partnership with Singapore Airlines — even though it meant shelving the project.
Takeaway: Tata proves that doing the right thing builds trust, even if it means walking away from big opportunities.
2. Infosys – A Culture of Transparency
Core Value: Corporate Governance and Trust
Infosys founder Narayana Murthy built the company on a culture of corporate transparency. The company was one of the first Indian IT firms to adopt global best practices in disclosures and financial integrity — even when the rest of the market was cutting corners to scale quickly.
Takeaway: Infosys became a global brand not just through innovation, but by sticking to its value system of honesty and accountability.
3. Amul – Empowering Farmers Over Corporate Greed
Core Value: Equity and Cooperative Growth
Amul’s model has remained rooted in empowering dairy farmers. Unlike corporates that prioritize shareholder value, Amul has continued to support its 3.6 million milk producers. During the COVID-19 crisis, when other companies cut procurement, Amul increased its purchase to protect farmers’ income.
Takeaway: Staying true to your grassroots values builds a loyal ecosystem that sustains you even in crises.
4. FabIndia – People Before Profit
Core Value: Community Empowerment and Inclusivity
FabIndia has consistently partnered with rural artisans and craftspeople instead of shifting to mass-produced, machine-made goods to cut costs. Even when scaling internationally, they maintained their commitment to handcrafted Indian products and ethical sourcing.
Takeaway: In an age of fast fashion, FabIndia stood firm on its values — and won global respect.
5. Zomato – Radical Transparency in Leadership
Core Value: Accountability and Customer Focus
In 2019, Zomato’s CEO Deepinder Goyal made headlines by publishing internal decisions and financials publicly on social media. He openly addressed customer concerns, business failures, and pricing policies. This kind of transparency is rare, especially in Indian startups.
Takeaway: Owning your truth and being honest with your audience — even when things go wrong — earns loyalty.
6. Biocon – Ethics in Pharma
Core Value: Innovation with Integrity
Under Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon has grown into a biotechnology powerhouse while maintaining high ethical standards in pricing and accessibility. Unlike many in the industry, Biocon has been vocal about affordable healthcare and fair pricing of life-saving drugs.
Takeaway: In a profit-driven industry, Biocon chose purpose-driven progress.
7. The Good Glamm Group (formerly MyGlamm) – Purpose-Driven Beauty
Core Value: Inclusivity, Clean Beauty, and Empowerment
The Good Glamm Group built its identity around creating beauty products that are cruelty-free, inclusive, and rooted in clean beauty. Even as it scaled through acquisitions and celebrity endorsements, it stayed committed to transparency in ingredients and messaging. The brand also supports women content creators via the Good Creator Co., empowering them with tools and income.
Takeaway: By aligning its business with progressive, purpose-driven values — rather than just selling products — The Good Glamm Group created a powerful emotional connection with a modern, aware customer base.
Why Defending Your Values is Non-Negotiable
- They Build Trust
Brands like TATA and Infosys are trusted not just for their products, but for their unwavering commitment to what they believe in. - They Attract the Right People
FabIndia and Amul have built communities of artisans, farmers, and socially-conscious consumers — all because they stuck to their core mission. - They Strengthen Decision-Making
Zomato’s radical transparency during controversies helped it make clear, values-based decisions that customers could understand and respect. - They Future-Proof Your Business
Companies like Biocon and Amul didn’t need to rebrand during crises — they just stayed aligned with their core.
How to Defend Your Values Daily
- Live them: Let your actions mirror your words, starting from leadership down.
- Communicate them: Reinforce values in meetings, training, and storytelling.
- Protect them: Make tough calls when someone violates them, even if they’re a top performer.
- Hire and fire by them: Ensure every person in your team aligns with what you stand for.
From Good to Great — It’s About Integrity, Not Just Innovation
Every business starts with an idea. But what sustains and scales it is not just how clever or fast it is — it’s how deeply it stays true to its values.
Defending your core values might not always win you applause in the short term, but it will earn you something more precious: respect, resilience, and real success.
In the journey from good to great, your values are your greatest asset. Defend them fiercely — they are non-negotiable.