When a Federal Order Threatened My Business Overnight — How a Written Code Helped Us Respond

On the evening of March 14, 2025, the White House issued an executive order that listed the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI) among federal entities to be eliminated to the maximum extent allowed by law. The author, Christopher Myers, CEO of B:Side Capital — an SBA lender and certified CDFI — received intense inbound messages within an hour. The order threatened a large part of his organization and required immediate leadership decisions.

Why values alone failed in the moment

Myers teaches leadership at Arizona State University and draws on historical examples he researched for a book on crisis-era leadership. He argues that values statements like "Integrity" or "People First" are too vague when real pressure arrives. Under stress, leaders can rationalize many choices and still claim their values guided them. Those words do not distinguish specific actions.

Instead of relying on broad values, Myers had previously developed a short, written code: clear behavioral commitments specific enough to be violated. The code's purpose is to make hard decisions before the crisis hits so that leaders do not have to invent moral rules in the heat of the moment.

Concrete advice: three steps (first step shown in detail)

1) Write a line specific enough to violate State one action you will not take, and phrase it as an observable behavior rather than an abstract value. Myers gives an example of a useful line: "I will not tell my team the business is fine when I know it is not." That sentence creates a measurable test: you either softened the truth or you did not.

When the CDFI fund was targeted, Myers used his code immediately. He declined to reassure staff falsely. Instead, he recorded a short video for his team, telling them plainly they faced an existential threat to part of the business and outlining a methodical response. That honest, pre-decided behavior turned an otherwise chaotic weekend into a sequence of decisions the organization had already explored.

2) (Summarized) Turn values into specific behavioral commitments For other values, repeat the pattern: convert vague statements into single-sentence behavioral lines that force a yes/no determination under pressure.

3) (Summarized) Develop and rehearse the code ahead of time Create the code before a crisis, brief your board and leadership team on it, and practice applying it to plausible scenarios so decisions come quickly when things escalate.

Why this matters for mission-driven organizations

Mission-based lenders and similar organizations can be obvious targets in shifting political or regulatory landscapes. When external institutions wobble, internal decision-making tools need to be precise. Myers's example shows that having a moral architecture in place — a short, tested code — enables leaders to communicate clearly, preserve internal trust, and act quickly without improvising their core commitments.

• Draft 3–7 behavioral lines that state specific "I will not" or "We will" commitments. Make each line testable.
• Share the code with your leadership team and board so everyone understands the decision framework.
• Role-play two or three crisis scenarios and apply the code so responses feel familiar.
• Use the code to guide immediate communications with staff and stakeholders when a real event occurs.