RFD 2 - Mission, Principles, and Values

Mission, principles and values are important to be explicit about, as they are the foundation of our culture and how we operate in our communities.

Principles

Principles are fundamental, universal truths that transcend time, geography, culture and context. These principles are not aspirations, they are constraints; I expect them to be a part of my identity and adhered to under all conditions.

Integrity. Principles are meaningless without the integrity to uphold them; I view our integrity as our single most important principle. I do not sacrifice our principles for expediency or comfort.
Honesty. I seek and tell the truth, even where those truths are painful or inconvenient. I abide by the spirit of the truth, not merely its letter; I do not hide falsehoods in language that is technically true or otherwise misleading.
Decency. I treat others with dignity, be they colleague, customer, community or competitor.

Values

Unlike principles, values indicate relative importance: they are objectives rather than constraints, and can come into tension with one another. Indeed, many of these values can become pathological when taken to an illogical extreme; absolute adherence to a particular value should never trump prudence. Moreover, values are not universal: while I would hope that every company would share our principles, I know that not every company will share all of our values - but they are the bedrock of Oxide.

In part to facilitate their internalization, and in part to make clear that there is no hierarchy or ordering among them, I present these values in alphabetical order.

Candor. I believe in being forthright, even when that's difficult. I avoid euphemism or otherwise cloaking our opinions or experience. I respect those who speak candidly, even if I disagree with what what they are saying.
Courage. I am bold, willing to do things even if they are unconventional, difficult, scary, or otherwise unproven. I am not, however, foolhardy: where I am contrarian, it comes not from mere desire to take a less travelled path, but from a deep and ill-informed conviction.
Curiosity. I am lifetime learners, unafraid of learning something new - be it an intimidating new technology, a perplexing system behavior, or a novel customer use case.
Discomfort. I believe that growth comes from discomfort, and that I must be willing to embrace discomfort in order to grow. I must put myself out there, take risks, and make decisions not based on my emotions. I must be willing to fail or be embarrassed - it is necessary in order to learn and improve.
Diversity. I believe the best results come from combining different perspectives and uniting them with shared values and mission. I believe in and encourage diversity on any axis that remains consistent with our mission, principles and values.
Empathy. Engineers serve to deliver utility to others; to do this effectively, I must be able to see the world through the eyes of others. Empathy doesn't merely inform what I do, it guides my interactions with my colleagues, communities and customers: I treat others as I myself would like to be treated.
Generosity. I believe in giving freely of my time, energy and resources to help others. I am generous with my family, colleagues, customers and community, and I expect the same in return. I also believe in being generous with myself: I take care of myself so that I can be at my best for others.
Humor. While I am engaged in serious business, I don't take myself too seriously. I enjoy the company of our colleagues, and cannot imagine a day without laughing — even if occasionally with our mouths full.
Optimism. While I am in the business of figuring out why things will fail, I nonetheless retain a deep and fundamental belief that better things are possible.
Resilience. I believe in the words of the late mathematician Piet Hien: "problems worthy of attack prove their worth by fighting back." I persist even when problems are fighting back, pushing through the disappointment and setbacks endemic to our chosen domain.
Responsibility. I feel a duty to things larger than myself. I don't merely fulfill our obligations, but actively seek ways I can help. I balance professional responsibilities with my personal and familial ones, and I honor those who do the same.
Rigor. Doing things the right way; I must be disciplined and thorough in my approach. I insist on getting at the root of things, and are unsatisfied to merely address their symptoms. It is also important to not chase perfection and to be aware of what good enough is for a given context.
Teamwork. I am intensely team-oriented: I draw strength and inspiration from the terrific people I am blessed to work and partner with. I like to collaborate, and believe that our best work comes when I work not merely together but for one another. It is also important to know when and how to ask for help, and when to delegate to others.
Thriftiness. I believe in spending wisely, seeking to make our finite resources last as long as possible, while still making the necessary investment.
Transparency. I believe that secrets are often corrosive - and that I work most effectively when I am aware of broader context. I err on the side of transparency and communication: every Oxide employee should feel that there is a standing invitation to any meeting. At the same time, I am respectful of privacy: personnel issues should remain private.
Urgency. I have finite resources and limited time with which to achieve; I must be focused, however immense the task at hand. Urgency should not be conflated with pace; it is important to move deliberately rather than hastily.
Versatility. While I must naturally specialize, I will dedicate time to learn from many disciplines beyond just my expertise. Tools and perspectives from other disciplines can lead to productivity benefits and creative (and sometimes novel) ideas. I will seek to learn a little bit every day.

p.s. inspiration for the format of this list is from Oxide's RFD 2 - the content has been adapted to my own principles and values.