Goals Are Great, Values Are Better

We do have goals we’ve set for ourselves. But the technology world changes quickly, and sometimes our goals have to change along with it. Our values, however, never do.

Focus On (Business) Impact

We’re technologists, but the technology is the means to an end — and the end is making an impact in the world. Usually, that’s a business impact, but sometimes that impact is seen through the lens of a non-profit or an art project.

We have a strong aversion to technology for technology’s sake.

Work Backwards

Every path at a crossroads leads somewhere interesting, but the right path to take is the one that leads us where we’re trying to go. Just because we’re moving doesn’t mean we’re getting closer.

We spend an inordinate amount of time ensuring we crisply understand where we’re trying to go. We want to make sure we’re moving in the right direction.

Proactive, Not Reactive

We prefer intentional and deliberate choices over reflex reactions. A considered decision that ends up being wrong is — to us — better than a random or rushed decision that happens to be right.

We can learn and improve from our mistakes; there’s not much we can learn from a dice roll.

Analyze, Don’t Agonize

As much as we like considered decisions, the ‘decision’ is as important as the ‘considered’. At some point we have to make a decision and move on.

We look at the data, make the best decision we can, pay close attention to the results, and reassess as necessary. We do not agonize over making the decision, or over the decisions we’ve made.

Long-Term Focus

When evaluating the estimated impact of a decision, we prefer the long-term value over the short-term value. Not only do we think it’s generally wise, it’s also simpler — a lot fewer things add consistent long-term value.

Bring Your Whole Self

At the end of the day, organizations are made up of unique, messy, beautiful, complicated, wonderful people. If we ask our people to compartmentalize their personalities and their lives, we short-change ourselves.

Bring your whole self to work, and we’ll figure out a way to make it work. Our business only succeeds if we can find a way to harmonize it with the lives of its people.

Work With The Best

We are thoughtful, detail-oriented, passionate people. We like to work with other thoughtful, detail-oriented, passionate people. It doesn’t matter where you live, what you look like, what your background is, or what school you went to.

We’re committed to a remote-friendly distributed work environment. We want to work with the best people we can, wherever they happen to be.

We’re not always able to practice each of these values perfectly, but we do always strive to improve our practice of them.