Rather than first principles, I&#x27;ve seen this work better when a company decides what their core principles are. These are not decided at a time of crisis or are a big decision, but early in the company&#x27;s development. When you decide exactly what you are doing, why, and what your goals are. And you use those principles to drive your decisions, strategies, and plans from then on.<p>Of course, at first glance, startups would seem to be against this kind of definition of principles, because they &quot;pivot&quot; to find a market - but that in itself is a core principle. You are not defined by your product, but by your final goal - large revenue and growth matter more than details of the product.<p>The way to get to your core principles is to ask yourself what aspects of your company are so critical to its integrity that you would rather shut down the company than break those principles.<p>Answer that, let those answers guide you, let those answers be known when hiring your team, and you will build a company that makes decisions easier, and with less internal conflict.