Transparency
In support of our culture of trust, and in order for us all to make the best possible decisions for the company, we share sensitive and unfiltered information with everyone. We can all view each other’s expense reports, budgets, and KPIs. We trust everyone to deal with and be in support of the good and bad news. When we have questions or concerns about the data and information being shared, we ask the accountable experts in the company to avoid misinterpretation and distortion of information.
Our culture is not built on fear or suspicion, so there is no need to hide any “bad results” from one another. We all make mistakes, and we expect everyone to own up to these mistakes and find solutions to improve the situation. This approach forces us to grow and face reality.
Diversity
We believe in inclusive hiring and have several practices in place to ensure we get the most diverse group of qualified candidates for our team. The unique backgrounds and viewpoints that our employees provide produce well-rounded and effective teams.
We believe in empowering people to show up as their best and most authentic versions of themselves at work. In order to foster this behavior, we believe in creating a culture of belongingness. Some of the ways we reinforce this, is by the type of team activities we plan, our recruitment philosophies, our open office space, encouraging everyone at every level within the company to speak their minds, and equal gender pay. We also encourage employee-run groups and events that allow people to honor and recognize diversity in the workplace.
Mistakes & Learning
We all make mistakes and work to learn from them. Failures should not be hidden, but discussed as a way for the group to learn how to avoid future pitfalls. Constructive feedback should not be taken as an affront, but as a guide for further personal growth.
The key to success is learning from the ups and downs. We share with one another our struggles, failures, and sacrifices as these are the only way to make us stronger, more compassionate, and grateful at everything we do in life.
We are fearless, confident, and have the ability to problem solve things that we have never done before. Our strategy is to solve issues ourselves. When a problem comes up, we try to avoid hiring outside contractors (unless it’s absolutely necessary and the project requires a very specialized knowledge for a short-term project). We’re all intelligent and have the ability to teach ourselves new skills. Taking this approach to a problem or a project not only helps us to expand our own capabilities, but it also allows us to fully understand and learn the ins and outs of our roles.
Strategy
We view the organization as a living system where we’re all working towards the purpose of building confidence in our customers for life's biggest moments. We believe in a sensing and responding approach rather than predicting and controlling method across all departments. We have long-term plans, targets, and budgets—but they are flexible. Our strategy is to have a clear intent for where we’re going with an outline of guidelines of how we’ll get there. We believe that if we plan too much for the future, then we stop paying attention to the reality of what is actually happening. By making fast iterations, we will progress much faster and smoothly toward our purpose.
Decision-Making
Every action and decision we make has a direct effect on our culture and our success. We encourage everyone on the team to share their opinions and help make decisions for the company, but this must be done under two conditions: 1.) you consult with peers who have expertise on the topic, and 2.) you get input from the people who are impacted by the decision. We believe that people are smarter when they use their collective intelligence to make decisions. Not all decisions must come to a consensus, but the opinions of others must be considered.
Be solution-oriented
We share our ideas about how to make things better. Everyone at every level is curious, asks questions, and has alternative solutions and suggestions that they share with their team members. We do this in a constructive, non emotional, and not hurtful way, and we know our limits. We do this to make us better.
We never put each other down, or complain without providing an alternative solution. Complaining just to complain is unhelpful, unproductive, and solves nothing.
Responsibility and accountability
Our team members take pride in the ownership of their work, and view it as something that is a privilege and responsibility for them to add their own unique contribution towards helping the company work towards its higher purpose.
Our duty extends beyond our own roles to how our actions can benefit the company as a whole. If others are not upholding their roles, we need to respectfully encourage them to continue to work for the collective benefit of the team.
Managing up
No one can read your mind. It’s up to you to speak to the leader in your department about your needs. Here are a few examples: if you want more responsibility, you’re running behind on a deadline, you’ve made a mistake, you’re unhappy with communication, you want mentorship, you want to learn a new skill, you need help, you want feedback on what you’re doing well or can improve. These are just some of the topics that your manager wants to know about and can help you with, and it's on you to ask.
If you aren't the right fit
Just doing your job as stated in the description isn't enough to succeed here. Being a member of the community and the values we uphold is equally important.
There are of course the obvious ways to be let go (harassment, intoxication, violence, attendance, illegal activities, failure to do job requirements, etc). One of the easiest ways to not be the right fit for the team, is by making bad decisions without seeking advice from the right people. We don’t keep people with bad judgment. We don’t allow people to abuse TBTs freedoms and perks. We don’t keep people who don’t take initiative, are intolerant of change, abuse company money, show intolerance of others, are inflexible, participate in mean-spirited gossip, breach company values, or who are constantly negative about the company.