How we behave —
not what we claim.
A value nobody can act on is decoration. Each value below is written twice: the behaviour we reward, and the behaviour we correct.
Character before capability
Reward
People who keep promises, admit mistakes early, and do the right thing when it costs them something.
Correct
Brilliance used as a licence. Status is never a shield.
Intellectual humility
Reward
“I don't know.” “I was wrong.” “Can you explain that to me?” “Here is something I'm struggling with.”
Correct
Performing expertise, dismissing questions, one-upmanship, citing credentials instead of reasoning.
Constructive disagreement
Reward
Attacking the idea, steelmanning the other side, changing your mind publicly when the evidence warrants it.
Correct
Personal attacks, sarcasm as a weapon, pile-ons, arguing to win.
Generosity as a default
Reward
Answering questions, reviewing someone's code, making an introduction, sharing a resource without being asked, crediting others.
Correct
Hoarding knowledge, gatekeeping, only showing up to ask for something.
Follow-through
Reward
Shipping, small consistent contributions, closing the loop, saying no rather than silently ghosting.
Correct
Enthusiasm followed by disappearance, starting everything and finishing nothing.
Respect for people and planet
Reward
Kindness to newcomers, patience with different skill levels, environmental and social awareness in what we build.
Correct
Cruelty disguised as “just being direct”, exploiting people, building harm and calling it progress.
Ownership without empire-building
Reward
“I'll take care of that” — then actually doing it.
Correct
Seeking authority without service, treating members as an audience or a workforce.
Privacy and trust
Reward
Keeping confidences, asking before quoting someone externally, handling personal data carefully.
Correct
Screenshotting drama, sharing member details, recruiting people out of Build For Good without consent.
- 01Would I stand by this if it were screenshotted and shown to everyone here?
- 02Does this make Build For Good more or less the place exceptional people choose to stay?
If either answer is no — don't send it.
What you tolerate
becomes the standard.
What you celebrate
becomes the goal.
What you ignore
becomes the culture.
These values sit inside a wider standard — the manifesto explains why character comes first, and why we would rather stay small and excellent than grow fast and become ordinary.