This presentation represents the mission and culture of Palo Alto Software. It is who we are and who we aspire to be.
Inspired by the culture decks of Netflix and Hubspot, we created this deck to communicate that as a company, we:
1. Rely on data
2. Solve for the customer
3. Are transparent
4. Give our employees the autonomy to be awesome
5. Are picky about our peers
20. The PAS Culture
1 We rely on data
2 We solve for the customer
3 We’re transparent
4 You have the autonomy to be awesome
5 We’re picky about our peers
21. 1
We rely on data
“Without data, you are blind and deaf
and in the middle of a freeway.”
—Geoffrey Moore
22. 1. WE RELY ON DATA
Test Everything
Assumptions are great—
but they need validation
23. 1. WE RELY ON DATA
Minimum Viable
Product (MVP)
Distill ideas down to the basics before
investing time & money in the real thing.
24. 1. WE RELY ON DATA
But quality is
always important
“Minimum viable” doesn’t mean
low quality, shoddy work.
25. 1. WE RELY ON DATA
Question the
status quo
All ideas are welcome.
Not all can be implemented.
26. 1. WE RELY ON DATA
We aren’t a
democracy
Data will be analyzed, and at the end of
the day, the project lead has to decide.
Not all decisions will be popular.
27. 2
Solve for the
Customer
It’s not about our success,
it’s about our customers’ success.
28. 2. SOLVE FOR THE CUSTOMER
“What’s in it
for Garrett?”
Garrett is our target persona.
Would he be happy with this product
or this marketing campaign?
29. 2. SOLVE FOR THE CUSTOMER
We love to teach
Success comes from educating
our customers, not exploiting them.
30. 2. SOLVE FOR THE CUSTOMER
But a bankrupt
company can’t help
customers
Customers pay a fair price for
things that have value.
32. 3. TRANSPARENCY
We share everything
Weekly company updates with
sales reports and team priorities keep
everyone in the loop
For obvious reasons,
salaries and HR issues are not shared.
34. 3. TRANSPARENCY
Financials? Strategy?
Hiring?
We share everything that
we can realistically and legally share.
35. 4
Autonomy to be
Awesome
“Work is a thing you do.
Not a place you go.”
36. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
Results are most
important
Every job has metrics and goals.
37. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
Where you do your work
is not important
As long as people know where you are
and can reach you, do your work where
you’re most efficient.
38. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
But we value in-person
collaboration
Sometimes the best ideas come
from casual interactions with
your co-workers, especially those
that aren’t on your team.
39. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
Take as much
responsibility as you
can handle
There’s always more to do
than people to do it.
40. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
We support you
Unlimited free books. Just buy them
and turn in the receipt.
Online education?
Just talk to your manager.
41. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
You’re the expert
We don’t just help entrepreneurs,
we want everyone in the company
to be entrepreneurial. You must be
an expert at what you do (or be working
hard to become an expert).
42. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
We try not to have too
many policies
that hold you back
43. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
A universal policy:
“Use good judgment”
This covers almost everything.
Use good judgment to do what’s good
for your team, good for the company,
and good for our customers.
44. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
“Use good judgment”
An example:
We don’t have an official travel policy.
Just “use good judgment” when you
get your meals, book a hotel, etc. Think:
“Would I spend my own money this way?”
45. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
For some people, this
much autonomy can be
uncomfortable
Our inclination towards as much
autonomy as possible can come off
as a lack of direction.
46. 4. AUTONOMY TO BE AWESOME
But our mission
stays the same
We’re just always trying to find a better
way to get there. That’s why you have
to be an expert.
47. 5
We’re picky
about our peers
Our employees make us
who we are.
48. 5. WE’RE PICKY ABOUT OUR PEERS
PAS Employees are:
Effective Get shit done
Dynamic Bring on the change
Interesting Sushi lessons?
Curious Don’t stop hunting
Smart There’s always more to learn
49. 5. WE’RE PICKY ABOUT OUR PEERS
Effective
Take the ball and run.
Better to ask forgiveness than permission.
No analysis paralysis.
50. 5. WE’RE PICKY ABOUT OUR PEERS
Dynamic
Flexible in a constantly
changing landscape.
Willing to try new things.
Not afraid of change.
51. 5. WE’RE PICKY ABOUT OUR PEERS
Interesting
Read and share interesting things.
Someone you want to talk to and
learn more about.
Do interesting things outside of work.
52. 5. WE’RE PICKY ABOUT OUR PEERS
Curious
Always learning.
Intrigued by new ideas.
Always searching for ways
to do things better.
53. 5. WE’RE PICKY ABOUT OUR PEERS
Smart
People who are intelligent and curious will
learn how to do virtually any job.
If you aren’t an expert, you will figure out
how to become one.
54. 5. WE’RE PICKY ABOUT OUR PEERS
Hire to elevate
Bring in people that are better
than you at something. They’ll elevate
the rest of the team.
55. 5. WE’RE PICKY ABOUT OUR PEERS
Our products are
world class and we’re
building a world
class team.
People in 180+ countries have used our
software and tools.
56. The PAS Culture
1 We rely on data
2 We solve for the customer
3 We’re transparent
4 You have the autonomy to be awesome
5 We’re picky about our peers