D(esign) Playbook - People

Leadership & Culture

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Keys to Leadership & Culture:

We Take Care of Our Work: Meaning that nothing less than excellence is acceptable when it comes to our work.

We Take Care of Ourselves: Meaning that work-life balance is important, and we should work in such a way that allows the flexibility that individuals need to realize their specific expression of work-life.

& We Take Care of One Another: Meaning, when a team member is in need…of work support, of personal support, of whatever…we don’t wait to see who raises their hand, we act to help. In order to achieve this third (and arguably most important) tenet, it is key that teams are constructed (see disciplines and experience) and work is prioritized in such a way to allow the flexibility to achieve this level of collaboration.

Vis-a-vis import - Team member growth = Business outcomes. Meaning that we must take each individuals personal growth and practice goals to be of equal import to our teams business outcome goals. This is a key aspect to developing team members that will run through walls for the team.

Some of the most resonant corporate values I have come across (yes several of these come from Amazon):

Ownership Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job."

Invent and Simplify Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here." As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.

Are Right, A Lot Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.

Learn and Be Curious Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.

Hire and Develop the Best Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.

Bias for Action. Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk taking.

Frugality. Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size, or fixed expense.

Earn Trust. Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odor smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.

Dive Deep. Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are skeptical when metrics and anecdote differ. No task is beneath them.

Citations/Learn More:

*Last updated 4/24/2020, please note this is for the purpose of allowing me to document and evolve my thoughts, experiences, and approach. I’d very much appreciate the opportunity to learn from you sharing yours. Reach out to me at jaydubois@gmail.com or @jaydubois