How Moz's TAGFEE values help foster a culture of innovation. Innovation requires risk. How do you find the personal and organizational courage to take big risks? This talk was made by Sarah Bird and delivered to the awesome Made In Seattle Week audience on June 1, 2015.

1. Inspiring Innovation
Through TAGFEE
Sarah Bird, CEO of Moz
@Sarah Bird*Nothing in this presentation is original.

2. Transparent
Authentic
Generous
Fun
Empathetic
Exceptional
Hold me to it!

3. Moz Basics
$35.6 million/year in total revenue

4. 155 talented team members
Moz BasicsMoz Basics

5. Over 30,000 paying customers
From all over the globe.
Moz Basics

6. Moz makes software that helps
marketers
understand and improve
their SEO, business listings, social media, links
and brand mentions.

7. It looks a little like this…

8. And this…

9. And this…

10. Lots of Awards ‘N Stuff
Best Places to Work

11. This is not a
Thesis on
Innovation.

12. Transparency. Autonomy.
Empathy. Courage. Play.

13. Transparent
Authentic
Generous
Fun
Empathetic
Exceptional

14. Transparent
Authentic
Generous
Fun
Empathetic
Exceptional

15. Innovation Requires
Transparency

16. As many ideas as
possible must collide
to find out what sparks.

17. Transparent

19. Share everything but salaries

20. Share the good and the bad news.
So. This sucked.

21. Don’t worry. We’re kicking ass.

22. It’s not “lonely at the top”
if you share the load.

23. Transparency
without autonomy
creates
resentment

24. Transparency +
Autonomy
=
Innovation

25. When people feel like they own the
problem, they will innovate tirelessly to
solve it.

26. Transparency and Autonomy Are
Easier in Small Teams

27. Small teams
are often more
innovative

28. As we scaled, the e-Team had to give up power.

29. What if we could distribute
autonomy throughout the org?

30. What if each team was responsible for
coming up with its own roadmap?

31. MozOS
A company-wide operating system to
unite all levels of Moz for planning,
organizing and executing.

32. We’re taking this peak!
The extended leadership team sets the direction and
creates the end of year goals.

33. MozOSEach team comes up with a 90 day plan on how it is
going to contribute to the end of year goal.

34. Then teams present, rationalize, and prioritize
over an intense 2 day period.

35. MozOSEveryone is a player.

36. The team owns the problem.
No blame shifting
to other teams or people.
Initiative is required.

37. Self-Generated Accountability
To The Team

38. Innovation is
thriving with
transparency,
autonomy, self-
generated
accountability.

39. We’ll continue to adapt
the system as we grow.

40. Transparent
Authentic
Generous
Fun
Empathetic
Exceptional

41. Things are going to get
a little personal…

42. Nothing Ventured,
Nothing Gained.

43. Innovation
requires risk.

44. You’re giving up a known way of doing
something,
for the belief that it can be better.

45. What if you’re wrong?

47. Your worst fear,
that you’re not good enough, could
be corroborated.

48. Shame, even the fear of it,
kills innovation.

49. If failure’s not an option,
then innovation is not an option.

50. If you’re going to try
something new,
then failure is
always an option

51. This being so,
so what?

52. How do you let go of the
fear so that you’re free to
innovate?

53. How do you
proceed in
the face of
failure?

54. The courage to continue comes
from knowing that what’s really
important
is not at risk.

55. !Achtung!
It might not be what you
think.

56. We are all part of this culture
that tells us what’s important.

57. We are all part of this culture
that tells us what’s important.
Money.

58. We are all part of this culture
that tells us what’s important.
Money. Good looks.

59. We are all part of this culture
that tells us what’s important.
Money. Good looks. Blah blah.

60. What creates happiness meaning for
you?
Can you separate it from
what your friends, family,
TV shows, commercials,
are trying to convince you
brings you happiness?

61. Live authentically.
Know what is truly important to you.

62. We’re searching for connection.

63. Empathy is the
antidote to shame.

64. “Shame can’t survive the two most
powerful words to hear when we’re in
struggle: ‘me too.’”
--Brene Brown

65. Empathy allows people to feel
vulnerable, instead of
shameful.

66. Vulnerability is uncertainty, risk,
and emotional exposure.

67. You can choose courage, or you can
choose comfort.
You cannot have both.

68. Our objective here is not comfort.

69. Normalize being
Exceptional.

70. Cultivate the
courage to be
different.

71. These are skills you can learn. Invest in
them

72. Transparent
Authentic
Generous
Fun
Empathetic
Exceptional

73. Take care of the people, and they
will take care of the product

74. Science sez that
creativity and
problem-solving
improve when you
take breaks for play.

75. We don’t track paid time off.

76. Just pull your weight.

78. Generosity is 150% Charity Match

79. $128K donated in 2014

80. It’s simple stuff.

81. Moz Fair Day

82. Moz HQ World Cup

83. St Paddy’s Day

84. It’s simple stuff.

86. Teams that play together,
innovate together.

87. Transparent
Authentic
Generous
Fun
Empathetic
Exceptional

88. Tonight we have the opportunity to help each
other be more innovative.

89. Let’s play,
listen to each other,
and say, “me too.”