Headspring: Values in Action
By Dustin Wells, CEO
An intentional, authentic culture is important for a high-growth, highly autonomous organization. Many leaders start with core values and a core purpose, but they stop short of bringing a culture to life. How do you know if the culture is alive? How do you know people are living it every day? This is the story of how we established our culture and of the people who prove the culture is alive and thriving.
At Headspring, we believe there’s a better way to build software, to work with clients, to work with each other, and to do business. And we believe that all starts with people. When people have a sense of purpose and believe in what they do, they will be more motivated to do a great job for themselves, for their clients, and for the company.
Where does this sense of purpose come from? It comes from living a shared mission, vision, and set of values every day. A company’s core ideology and culture start with what’s important to the people who are part of it, and evolves by attracting those with similar ideals. While businesses evolve, your core ideology should remain the foundation grounding you as you grow. We fight to stay true to who we are by living our core values: They’re the driving force behind all of our decisions and form our identity as an organization.
When it was time for Headspring to define who we wanted to be and how we wanted to operate, we recognized that this identity needed to spring from everyone in the organization—not just from a group of executives gathered in a conference room. We invited input from everyone in the organization and identified the themes, words, and phrases that would evolve into Headspring’s Core Values. Even the order in which they are listed reflects the priorities of our people.
HEADSPRING CORE VALUES AS DEFINED BY HEADSPRINGERS
Own Your Experience: We identify issues and participate in solving them. We accept challenges beyond our perceived abilities and strive to accomplish them. We know we can’t determine our circumstances, but we can determine our attitude and outlook. We are the authors of our own story.
Drive for Excellence: We have drive, motivation, and enthusiasm to achieve excellence. We have a strong work ethic and commit ourselves daily to deliver on the promises we make. We hold each other accountable for our commitments. We never give up.
People are Valued: We know that great software serves people, and not the other way around. We work together in a spirit of collaboration and service to others. Instead of "What's in it for me", We ask "How can I help?" We put others' needs ahead of our own.
Honest Communication: We are honest and transparent with our clients and peers. We're willing to speak up, even when we have bad news. We assume and extend trust by default. We communicate with empathy, support, and candor.
Passion for Learning & Growth: We have a desire to be better. We're willing to admit we might not have the answer. We are introspective and seek help when needed. We are always open to others' feedback. We support each other in continuously learning. We believe there's a Better Way, and we never stop seeking it.
Why does all of this matter? When employees not only know a company’s values, but also believe in them and support them, the values take on a life of their own and become the true culture of the company. It’s not what you say, but what you do, day in and day out, that creates an authentic culture.
Own Your Experience, Drive for Excellence, People are Valued, Honest Communication, and Passion for Learning and Growth are values that are so ingrained in the lives of the people who work here, that we see examples daily of how our employees are the true embodiment of the Headspring culture. We have a quarterly awards process during which employees can nominate one another for actions that reflect our core values. These range from team members going above and beyond on client projects to colleagues helping each other overcome personal challenges. A developer nominated his project lead for mentoring him in the ways of achieving work/life balance. One of our PMs nominated our office manager for catering to her mobility needs when she became wheelchair-bound. There are countless examples of consultants who have taken the lead on a project, pushed the limits of their own learning, and found creative solutions that helped their whole team. These peer-to-peer testimonials are authentic proof that our culture is alive, and enables us to live and work well.
As a company, we make an effort to implement people-driven policies that enact these values too. Work from Home Wednesdays arose from an effort to help those in our Houston office achieve a better balance, since many of them have long commutes. After the success of this program in Houston, all offices were invited to give their teams the choice to work from home on Wednesdays. We know that our people can be counted on wherever they are. This program has made for happier teams who now have a little more time in their weeks for their families and personal pursuits.
The examples of living our values go on and on. These are not things that leaders have requested, but are initiated by people who have a sense of purpose and a belief in what they do. Besides speaking to the incredible integrity of our employees, it showcases how the core values have evolved into an authentic culture: they’re the driving factor behind how our employees view themselves and treat each other. I recently was pleased to hear one Headspringer say, “It seems like any reasonable thing we ask for, we can have.” This has been and will always be true as we continue to cultivate a strong company culture together, one in which people are truly valued.