OUR CULTURE RUNS DEEP
1. “YOU, NOT ME”
- Pull, not push: Focus on what customers want to get, not what you want to give
- Drink our own wine: If we don’t use what we build, why will they?
- Happy customers lead to happy shareholders: The opposite isn’t necessarily true.
2. “WIN. WIN, WIN ,WIN, WIN”
- Win today, not someday: The only way to win is profitable growth
- Disrupt or be disrupted: Rivers carve canyons while lakes evaporate
- Don’t rest on your laurels: Sharks die if they sleep.
3. “DON’T SEEK COMFORT”
- Seeking Comfort Leads To Pain: Tolerating Pain Leads To Comfort.
- Defer Gratification: Don’t eat that marshmallow so you get Charlie’s Chocolate Factory.
- Eat Feedback For Breakfast: Receive feedback with appreciation. Then you can accept or discard.
4. “BE AN OWNER, NOT A RENTER”
- Be An Extreme Owner: Own the downside, share the upside.
- GROW THE SIZE OF THE PIE, NOT YOUR SHARE: Change yourself to change your world.
- Focus On Solutions, Not Problems: When in doubt, bring multiple solutions to the table.
5. “FACE YOUR FEARS”
- Define your fears and embrace them: Don’t hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
- Have the courage to be disliked: 99% of your problems are interpersonal problems
- WHEN DECISIONS ARE REVERSIBLE, ACT FAST: WHEN DECISIONS ARE IRREVERSIBLE, THINK SLOW
6. “THINK BIG, START SMART, SCALE FAST, FINISH STRONG”
- Think Big: Big Hairy Audacious Goals
- Start Smart: Slowly get from 0 to 1
- Scale Fast: 3x3x3x2x2 = 100x+
- Finish Strong: Integrate with BAU
7. “LISTENERS WIN, SPEAKERS LOSE”
- 99% Of The Time: Listen, Don’t Speak
- 1% of time: Organize your thoughts long before you speak (see this)
- Tell Stories, Not Facts: People memorize stories & forget facts.
8. “BE A COACH, NOT A MANAGER”
- Manage Talent, Not Human Resources: Share your learnings transparently and show, not tell
- Manage Performance, Not Tasks: Give autonomy instead of micromanaging
- Ask Great Questions: Let your talent get the right answers
9. “YES, YOU CAN BE A CAPTAIN”
- Start Today: Just take ownership, Gather data, Make informed decisions
- Everyone Is Your Peer: Don’t overestimate or underestimate anyone (No assholes)
- The standard is the standard: Set really high standards & address lapses instantly
10. TODAY, ACHIEVE YOUR #1 PRIORITY
- Be present: The past is a fading memory. Control your present to shape your future
- Be like water: Don’t fight the Fed. Adapt & Overcome
- Ignore sunk cost: Don’t be afraid to reassess & start a new experiment
11. “IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT”
- This too shall pass: Nothing is permanent. Macro conditions will always change
- Be comfortable with fires: Some things will stay on fire. We’ll fix them eventually
- Under promise, over deliver: Set expectations that can be exceeded.
12. “DON’T GIVE UP, EVER”
- Success isn’t linear: 90% of success is avoiding failure. Don’t ever give up, ever!
- Perception is stronger than reality: Trust that you will build a $1T company
- But don’t distort your own reality: Resist the temptation to fool yourself. Be paranoid about everything that could go wrong.
