Sibros core values are the foundation of who we are and our approach in everything we do.
There are no egos at Sibros - everyone's voice is equally valuable and there is no hierarchy of importance. We value direct communication and respectful feedback and share our different viewpoints empathetically in a safe, collaborative environment.
Transparency and authenticity creates a culture of accountability, ownership, and trust. It is the foundation for building strong relationships with our team and customers. By being honest and straightforward, we keep the lines of communication open for solving problems and making good decisions.
There is no 'us' versus 'them'. We work shoulder-to-shoulder and go out of our way to help each other. We openly share our ideas and make data-driven decisions. And even if we disagree at times, we are committed to moving forward as a unified team.
Each of us plays a key role and we trust everyone to do their part. We think and act like owners - holding ourselves accountable for each and every action and resulting outcome. It is important to own it, run with it, and be dependable.
Leadership empowers us to make decisions and take swift action. We value action over inaction ("done is better than perfect") and taking calculated risks, even when things are uncertain. We embrace innovation, agility, and change, and won't let anything stop us from making progress.
Delighting our customers and providing unparalleled value is our top priority. We listen intently and act quickly to enhance our offerings, relentlessly work to resolve issues, and provide solutions that give them a competitive edge. This allows us to consistently deliver value and exceed their expectations.
We go the extra mile in everything we do, no matter how big or small the task, that is how we make a meaningful impact in our world. The quality of our execution depends on how well we think through our plans and how deliberately we act. The details matter.
Having a positive attitude and being approachable are key to creating a culture that is inspiring and enjoyable. They enable us to collaborate effectively and maintain focus on the task at hand, fostering a spirit of camaraderie and teamwork, even in challenging times.
Actions speak louder than words. It is important to lead by doing rather than telling. We are role models for each other and we constantly raise the bar in everything we do. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and inspire each other to achieve new heights.
Growth and innovation come from learning new things everyday and constantly challenging our assumptions. We embrace a culture of curiosity and are not afraid to ask questions when something isn’t obvious or we don’t understand something. Asking questions leads to better decisions and/or strengthens our confidence in the choices we make.
Challenging the status quo and thinking outside-the-box sparks creativity and ingenuity. We tackle obstacles head on and push the boundaries of what’s possible. We take bold bets, and we either win big or learn big. We never give up and are willing to disrupt ourselves, to always stay ahead of the curve.
Guiding Principles
Avoid having multiple versions of information across different systems to avoid confusion, errors or inconsistencies and reduce duplication of effort.
The first time something bad happens, it is an incident. If it continues to happen again and again, it is a pattern. Trust the patterns that you see and take corrective action.
When we disagree, we should always voice all of our concerns before the decision is made. But once we commit to a decision, we unite our efforts for success and if we fail, we don't point fingers.
We strive to be transparent. When we don't know whether to share or not, the answer is to share. This applies also to customer interactions because sharing the bad news creates more credibility and trust with the customer.
Always treat customers with respect and dignity. After all, there is no point to our business if we don't have customers.
Progress over perfection means prioritizing the advancement or improvement of a project instead of waiting for perfection.
Focus on measuring things you can control while still keeping an eye on the things that you cannot control.
If people are upset, try to be the one that is calm and centered. Everyone in the room will appreciate it.
Having defined and repeatable processes that can be automated or can be automatically verified for correctness makes it harder to do the wrong thing accidentally while also making it easier to do the right thing more naturally. But when should we consider automating something? Focus on doing the tasks manually first to understand the problem better, and to understand what processes need to be built. If we find ourselves doing the task often (more than 2-3 times per month), consider automating them.
Do things in phases and start with the bare minimum required. Iterate and improve based on real-world usage and learnings.
We want knowledge to be shared in written format so that processes are repeatable and robust. This also helps us scale the operational side of our business, especially when we give away our legos.
You can only spend time evolving and learning new things if you take the time to transfer some responsibilities to other team members. In a growing company, the scope of a role might narrow, but the scale of the operation increases. And with scale, comes new learnings.
We want to exceed our customers’ expectations by delivering more than what was promised, faster than when it was promised. This will create a positive customer experience, building customer loyalty and goodwill.
Sometimes, it is easier to do the wrong thing and harder to do the right thing. We have to make a conscious effort to never treat others poorly, and to never take advantage of anyone. We have to maintain a certain standard for ourselves.
It is very important that bad news is shared more quickly internally, so that we can take corrective action as soon as possible. The longer it takes to share information, the longer the issue goes unresolved and worsens the impact. Even if you believe that the problem should/will get resolved without escalation or sharing with the rest of the team, share it anyway. It is important for us to not get surprised or blind-sided.
Avoiding jargon, acronyms and abbreviations, and complex words will help everyone on the team understand and digest the information a lot faster and be more aligned.
We should only take on projects or tasks if we know we will be able to complete them. Spending time doing incomplete work has no value add for anyone and the impact of the work will not be felt. So, we should always work to completion.
Think of the most important things that you do as falling into 3 categories: rocks, pebbles and sand. Think of these three ingredients in a glass jar where the jar represents your time allocation. Rocks should be worked on first, because they take up a lot of time and leave little room for other things. Pebbles are smaller projects that can easily fill the space around the rocks and Sand refers to the unplanned minor things that fill in the remainder of time.
Think about Apple products. Every tiny detail and aspect of their product, and every interaction, is well thought through. It's the small things that make the biggest difference. It is important for everyone to stay connected to the details and to "sweat the small stuff".
A small improvement of 1% per day means an improvement of 100% in 100 days. We should stay focused on making improvements and taking steps in the right direction every day.
These 3 pillars are at the core of success for each individual at the company. And if each individual is successful, there are higher chances of the organization succeeding as well.
- Growth: Are you learning new ideas, concepts, skills? Are you professional development courses or finding the time to read relevant books? Are you taking on new responsibilities? Are you getting exposure and experience in a new industry or field?
- Impact: Are you able to help those around you? Does your team and area of work make an impact on the business?
- Enjoyment: Do you enjoy working with others on your team? Do they work shoulder to shoulder with you in a pleasant manner? Does everyone contribute proportionately based on the role they are in?
Focus on finishing only one big task per day, one big task per week and one big task per month. Work backwards from the end goal and break large projects into smaller pieces and start working on them without worrying about how the whole project will get accomplished. Planning is important, but so is iteration and quick feedback loops.
A type 1 decision is one that is irreversible, a one way door. A type 2 decision is reversible and we are able to quickly change it. Most decisions are type 2 and should be made quickly. Type 1 decisions have to be made thoughtfully and methodically. These decisions and the success and failure of these bets have to grow proportionately with the size of the company otherwise the success will not have a meaningful impact on the business.
When we see problems, we should fix them as soon as possible. If we wait, they will become bigger and much more expensive problems to solve. Spend a dollar now to save a hundred dollars later.
It is important to do the things that you say you will do, and deliver those things on time. This is what will help you (and your team) build credibility and enable others to have confidence in you and be able to depend on you.
This is a fundamental that we have borrowed from Amazon. And we think this is important to follow for effective communication. Let us not hide behind long winded explanations in the hope that it softens the landing on an unfavorable answer, or because it helps avoid answering the question altogether. This goes back to our core value of "We say it as it is".
When we share clear, descriptive instructions and documentation with the team, there is a higher chance that the work will be executed as expected and with minimal errors and deviations.
Whenever you are working with other team members, customers, partners or investors, questions or requests might come up. Do your best to understand the reason behind the request, and try your best to accommodate their request. If the exact request cannot be met, please make sure to offer alternatives or suggestions. Brainstorm with the individual to help solve their problem. Remember, we are one team.
