Company values are what the people within the organization believe in. Decisions, actions, hires/fires, promotions/demotions are based on the company values and they are the fundamental building blocks for a strong, great company culture.
Of course, there are many good values in the world, but company values cannot list them all. Rather, the company’s core values should embody a set of unique beliefs, and should be simple enough to be remembered and used during daily conversations and work.
So, without further ado, here are our seven core values at SendBird:
1. Endless tenacity for customers
“Only the paranoid survive” – Andy Grove, Intel
Customers existed before a company did. Facing a problem, few people dared to find a solution, and customer value was created. The organized and deliberate effort of finding a solution later evolved to become a company that we know today. We exist to satisfy the customers, then to leap beyond the status quo and create innovative solutions to problems that the customers are not even aware of yet. The journey will be challenging and frustrating, but endless tenacity is the only path to the true customer happiness.
2. Better than the best
“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment
where excellence is expected.” - Steve Jobs, Apple
We need to set stretch goals for ourselves and our team. We must strive to pursue efficiency and effectiveness, speed and quality, but also pour in great amount of effort to achieve those goals. We don’t compromise on something just good enough, and we continuously raise bars for ourselves and our team. We find better ways even to the mundane tasks that we’ve already mastered. We never, ever stop at the top nor the best. We become better than the best.
3. Work to completion
“The happiest and most successful people I know don’t just love what they do, they’re obsessed with solving an important problem, something that matters to them. They remind me of a dog chasing a tennis ball: their eyes go a little crazy, the leash snaps and they go bounding off, plowing through whatever gets in the way.” - Drew Houston, Dropbox
We focus on the goals wholeheartedly until they have been completed. We expand and redefine our roles and responsibilities with ever more flexibility to achieve those goals. We follow-up endlessly and never let any task fall through the cracks. We finish them with distinct clarity. We focus on our customers and our mission with great intensity, and continuously say no to other deviations that yearn for our attention.
4. The buck stops here
“Even the snowing weather is my responsibility.” – Hamaguchi Takanori
We believe we are leaders no matter where we are, what position we are in. We strive to bear greater responsibility, and we never let a responsibility slip through, impute, nor dissipate. We don’t blame others nor the environment. We hold ourselves responsible.
5. Already on it
“Move fast and break things” – Facebook ex-motto
We don’t wait or ask for permissions. We decide fast, move faster, and take on the responsibility of the results and be brave enough to ask for forgiveness. We think deeply and learn continuously to make better decisions even faster. We lead ourselves and our team through the chaotic and uncertain times by taking on greater risks and challenges.
6. Highest corporate integrity
“The Newspaper Test” – If an article appeared in a local newspaper about a decision and action you made, and your family and friends read the article, would you feel good about it?
Great relationship between the company and customers can only be built on top of high corporate integrity. We base our decisions and actions on the right reasons. In a situation where the reputation and the value of the company is at stake, it is our duty to request immediate correction whether to ourselves, colleagues, or the management.
7. Global citizenship
“Manners maketh men” – William of Wykeham, Motto of Winchester College and New College, Oxford
We create the environment and the culture to nurture talented people around the world. We actively embrace diversity with different ethnicity, gender, religion, and disabilities, and focus on maximizing the strength of the individuals and our team as a whole. We respect each other and continuously grow ourselves to become a more positive and productive influence to the rest of the team. As long as someone is well aligned with our core values, we go beyond the diversity and work relentlessly to enable team work and to create values for our customers, the team, and the society.
Positive Tenacity 